Be Careful What You Wish For
by ThatGirl
Summary: The girls all make special wishes that have some unfortunate complications. (updated)
1. Preface

Hello there again! It appears ThatGirl is trying to write something NOT depressing. GASP! Yes this will be my first non-depressing saga. But I must warn you all this is going to be LONG. This is just the Preface. But that's all right, the chapters are actually shorter. So this is my second PPG fic, I ask that you Read & Respond and expect more. 

Preface

The line at the portrait studio ran right out the door. Mr. Banwick certainly would make a bundle this Christmas with all the rich and wealthy of Townsville heading to his now elegant shop. There were still some of his old favorite customers in the line though. Near the end he thought he saw Mrs. Martin and her three little boys, my how they were growing. He remembered taking their picture when they were mere babes in diapered bottoms. He chuckled at the thought. 

Mr. Banwick turned his attention then toward the front of the line and groaned. With his shop now elegant and practically high-class material (after the renovations) all the snotty were there. And who snottier than Mrs. Victoria Lukan and her odd daughter? 

Mrs. Lukan was a filthy rich woman with a husband that had more money than Front Knox. But while the blonde hair snob was beautiful, for most of her marriage she was miserable. Her husband (with the hum-drum name of Charles) and herself had wanted a baby since they'd been wed. But, a short trip to the doctor's office confirmed what was said to be Victoria's worst fear. She was unable to become a mother.

The woman was only slightly depressed. The one thing about Victoria that made her just as shallow than all the others was that she only wanted a child to carry on the lineage. She didn't want a child to love or care for, just some one to take care of the family's riches when she and Charles had met their end. 

Then, one morning something wonderful happened to the couple. Nana (Victoria's old nanny which she couldn't force herself to get rid of although they had no children) heard a knock on the large imported doors of the house. It seemed awfully strange that considering most of the people used the musical chiming doorbell. Nana poked her gray-haired head out to see nothing but the blue skies and fertile lawn of the Lukan estates. She scratched her confused head when she heard the cooing of a baby. To Nana's surprise, someone had left a basket on the Lukan's front doorstep. She had called to her Mistress.

When Victoria saw this, she was overjoyed. Someone had heard her prayers and sent her a darling baby. Her cold heart raised a few degrees as she reached down for the child and Nana noticed a note on the basket. She read it aloud:

_Dear kind stranger,_

I am but a poor woman with little to offer this child. I know that you are good, kind, and generous people who will take care of my baby girl. I only wish I could. I'm sorry but you're the only one's who can help her. Her name is Blossom. Please take care of her.

Sincerely,

A lost mother

Just as Nana had finished reading the letter, Victoria let out a horrified screech dropping the poor babe to the ground. Nana, dove catching the now screaming child before it hit the marble steps of the home. She looked up at a flustered Victoria who was backed up against the decorative Italian door with a skinny hand on her icy heart. 

"The child is HIDEOUS!" The blonde woman cried out pointing a well-manicured finger toward the child. Nana looked at the child cautiously and gasped.

The child had beautiful locks of red hair that was messily displayed around her tear-stained face. Her eyes were large, almost incomprehensibly so and the iris was surprisingly a rosy pink color. It gave the babe an almost mouse-like look to her. But the baby's face lacked a nose and she had no ears. Nana lifted the child to see that this babe had lost all of its toes and fingers. The child wailed loudly and Nana, although shocked, held her comfortingly.

"I fear I may be ill." Victoria whined grasping onto the door handle for support.

"Now, now, my dear. She still is a baby, and she still needs our care. The woman who left her to us needs us to care for her." The child was calming and looked up at Nana with her pink eyes and red face. Nana's eyes twinkled lovingly. "Besides, she still looks beautiful to me." Victoria regained her composure and looked at the child. In some odd sense the child did seem beautiful. 

"What should I name her?" Victoria questioned as Nana rocked the child.

"She already has a name...Blossom."

And so that's how the tale went. After a complete check-up by the family's personal doctor, the child was found free of sicknesses and surprisingly enough, still had ways in which to hold objects without the use of her fingers. 

Mr. Banwick groaned again. Now he had to photograph this stuck up snob and her two-year-old freakish daughter. His store was not only swamped with the high-class, but with all of Townsville's local celebrities. Mr. Banwick gave a delighted laugh when he spotted the Fisher family.

Jack Fisher was one of the most handsome, brilliant, and charming blonds to ever grace the TV screen. Although he was a mere car salesman, his bright smile and perfect demeanor made him Townsville's "Most Likeable Guy". However, at that moment, Jack seemed less than likeable.

Jack massaged him temples slowly trying to keep his fiery temper down. He was in public and he _had_ to remind himself that. _I'm in public, I'm in public, I'm in public._ Jack repeated several times in his mind just as his two-year-old daughter raced by his feet babbling something. Of course his lovely wife, Nancy, wasn't doing anything about it. He growled lowly, secretly regretting the day he'd picked up the child.

It had been a bright Sunday morning. The sunniest sky and the greenest grass seemed to be right outside the Fisher's home. Ah, the Fisher's were the model family. Mr. Fisher was the average "honest" businessman and his wife Nancy was the beautiful and cheery housewife. But, the Fisher's were childless. Jack and his publicist argued for hours on the topic of children. Jack, LOATHED children. 

Mr. Fisher had been a very private man until his business started. He never liked children, but his publicist insisted that Jack have a child to further boost himself as a "family man". But, Jack's marriage was a sham and he didn't want to have to deal with children. Nancy wasn't too happy about the idea, she wasn't a very bright woman and spent most of her time (off camera of course) taking unnecessary prescription drugs for her hypochondriac state in the privacy of their perfect home. She really didn't want to stop having all that free time.

Then, that one beautiful morning, perfect Mr. Fisher staggered to his white-painted front door and opened it wide to find a small basket on the doorstep. Curious, Mr. Fisher kneeled down to it in his dark blue robe and touched the sky blue blanket that dressed the inside of the basket. A tiny giggle emerged from inside. Jack raised an eyebrow and lifted the blanket carefully. 

Two big blue eyes looked up into his own. Suddenly the little blanketed bundle kicked and giggled. The blanket was caught around the blonde-haired baby's legs as she giggled playfully. At first even the child-hater Jack Fisher felt his heart melt. But then he saw that the child was horribly disfigured. It was missing its nose and its ears. On closer inspection, he found she had no bellybutton. The child playfully put her tiny no-fingered mitt on the handsome man's nose, batting at it. He stumbled back falling on his butt. The child smiled and let out another high-pitched squeal. 

Jack blinked at the child slowly coming to the realization that this might just be the ticket. The tiny blue-eyed babe was just the thing he needed for his "family man" commercials. Although she was a little odd, she was surprisingly adorable. He reached his hand into the basket shakily, as if reaching into a bag filled with mousetraps. He picked up the child and she smiled sweetly. 

"NANCY!" Jack called up the stairs. His brown-haired wife practically fell down the stairs, the banister her only support.

"What is it Jack?" She uttered wobbling up next to him.

"Look what someone left us." He showed up the tiny blonde baby. She laughed again waving her arms. Nancy squinted her eyes closely.

"I gotta stop taking those…I can't see her nose." She rubbed a hand over her pretty face.

"She doesn't have a nose Nancy. Don't ya see?" Jack grinned almost sinisterly, "She's the perfect candidate for the child in our commercials! The whole 'found-on-our-doorstep-story' is PRICELESS. And the fact that she's 'disabled' adds the sympathy! And besides, blonde hair and blue eyes? She's the darn Aryan Race in our hands." Jack laughed almost evilly. "Such a perfect little present." 

"And without all the messy process of pregnancy." Nancy smiled a little herself.

"Perfect." Jack had said that day, beaming over his new found "pride and joy". He _had_ said.

Jack massaged his temples more furiously as his two-year-old tornado blew by again babbling further. She was the most excitable little girl in the whole line. Her dark blue dress flipped up ever time she leapt into the air. Her blonde pigtails bounced as the energetic toddler gleefully skipped up and down the line.

"Bubbles!" Jack let out a yell that sounded more like a sweet-tempered call. Why any God-fearing woman would cruelly name a child that was beyond Mr. Fisher. All he knew was that it was the name scripted on the note he found in the basket. Jack and Nancy didn't feel like changing it, so they kept it anyway. He shot a glare at Nancy as the "tornado" pestered a young couple down the line. Nancy had a well-manicured hand to her face as she slowly shook her head, wishing she were home to take a smoke. Jack called for his daughter again, "Bubbles, sweetheart, come here."

"Oh Dah-dy dah-dy!" The child vivaciously bounded toward her parent. "I can't wait ta get my pisture takin'!" The child poorly pronounced. Jack chuckled lightly holding the squirming toddler. On the inside he wanted to tape her mouth shut.

"As soon as Mr. Banwick is ready, Sweetie." Jack cooed planting a peck on the cheek of his adopted daughter. Mr. Banwick bit his lower lip. He so loved to speak with his customers, and getting to know the mild-mannered Mr. Fisher would do WONDERS for Mr. Banwick's rep. What other people could he get to know to better improve his social status? 

As Mr. Banwick looked down the line of customers he saw a beautiful face. He smiled brightly and approached the young woman he recognized well. He quickly slicked back one of the few remaining hairs on his bald head and smiled at her.

"Why hello there, Ms. Robins. It's been a while hasn't it?" Mr. Banwick grinned pleasantly. Ms. Robins was as pretty as she was charming with locks of crimson hair that curled around her shoulders and bright green eyes that lit up at the sight of Mr. Banwick. She looked stunning, dressed up for the picture. Her hair was slightly curled with two curly strands framing her lovely face. Her dress was long, reaching the floor but complimenting her slender figure. The dress was a deep red with short sleeves that exposed her shoulders. She had a golden heart locket on and the middle of the dress was also golden with an intricate pattern that circled around to the back where it was kept on with an elegant bow. She looked absolutely lovely. 

"Please, call me 'Red', Mr. Banwick. It's wonderful to see you again." She commented politely. Mr. Banwick couldn't help but smile at her pretty face. He remembered when she was just a little girl asking for lollipops after her family photo. Poor, Ms. Robins. She was one of the most feared and despised people in town, despite her charm and beauty.

Back when Ms. Robins (or Red as she was nicknamed for her hair) was but a child she had been the target of police. Her parents were notorious bank robbers that were known throughout the city. Police always questioned her, to see if she had any connection to the parent's crimes, perhaps if they'd told her something. But Red was in the dark as much as the police were. 

Her parents were always on the run and constantly left the little girl with friends who would only keep her for a short while. Red used to tell Mr. Banwick stories of how her mother would kiss her on the forehead, say "I love you" and disappear, leaving little Red wondering whether she'd ever feel her mother's kiss on her forehead again.

Near Red's eighth birthday party came the tragic death of her parents. She had been waiting excitedly for her parent's return to the city and for her. Her father had called and promised, promised her that they'd be home and that this would be the very last time they broke the law. Then they would take her to somewhere in the country and live normal, decent lives. And her father always kept his promises. 

But that time he didn't come home. Red's father and mother had just finished taking the last dime from the mint and were making their getaway when a huge explosion enveloped the whole building and killed all who were inside. The blast blew back the people on the streets, the flames circling the whole building. The police suspected that the "Bonnie and Clyde" of now a days had accidentally tripped off one of their own bombs. But Red knew her parents would never kill. And they didn't use bombs either. However, Red's parents became the scapegoat and although they were deceased, the citizens of Townsville could take out their anger and sorrow on their poor daughter.

That was the story of Red's life. Her parent's friends quickly turned on her and she was sent to an orphanage only three days after her 8th birthday. She lived there till she was old enough to get a job. Even then it was hard for her, everyone was still wary over a murderer's daughter. But, thankfully one man hired her at (surprisingly enough) a bank. Where Red worked as hard as she could, trying to revoke the nasty stain on her name. 

Mr. Banwick was about to ask her about the job when he heard a long wail. His spectacle-framed eyes cast down to see a small girl that couldn't have been more than two years old in her arms. It was kicking and screaming and throwing a huge fit. Mr. Banwick's eyes opened in surprise but then twinkled joyously.

"Why Ms. Robins, don't tell me you're a 'Mrs.' Now." Mr. Banwick chuckled, "Better yet, please tell me that you are!" He let out he guffaw at his own joke. Red smiled coyly and tried to shush the toddler. 

"Actually Mr. Banwick. I'm still a Ms." She commented shushing the child. "Hush now, Buttercup," She rocked the frumpy little girl. "Be patient! You won't have to wear this dress much longer." The child whom she'd called "Buttercup" was dressed in a red dress similar to her mother's, except the sleeves rested on the child's shoulders and the dress wasn't nearly as low cut or long. But the child's dress still had an elegant (well as elegant as the toddler's bow could be) yellow bow in the back. A red bow topped her head with a yellow center. It fit nicely with her outfit as it poked through the mass of black tresses. Red had curled the little girl's black hair giving the toddler an almost Shirley Temple-ish look to her. The last elements to the child's dress were delicate golden shoes and a golden heart locket, much like her mother's. The toddler crossed her arms and kicked some more while Red tried to calm her. 

"No!" The little child complained trying to release herself from her mother's hold.

"I say, Ms. Robins," Mr. Banwick began nervously, "isn't that sort of business a little sacrilegious?" He asked when he noticed something odd about the child. "GOOD GOD!" Mr. Banwick cried shielding himself from the child with his arms. "That child has no nose!" He pointed an accusing finger. 

Red Robins was appalled at her old friend's behavior toward her little girl. Buttercup wasn't too happy about the man either. She stuck out her tongue and rasberried him, crossing her little arms in a huff.

"Please Mr. Banwick!" Red exclaimed, seeing her baby girl upset. "Let me explain--"

"What happened? Is her father also your cousin?" He questioned. Red looked even more appalled but calmed herself. Her mother had always told her to turn the other cheek and not to get angry, Red was trying to teach this to her own little daughter (who for some unknown reason had a little bit of a violent streak in her).

"Mr. Banwick please." She stated calmly, holding Buttercup close, as if to protect her. "First, off your comments might be hurting her feelings. Let me just tell you her story. I had my day off from work at the bank and I thought I'd get some work done around the house. I had been cleaning all day and I was tired. All I had left was to take out the trash. While I was leaving my apartment, I heard someone crying."

"Her?" Mr. Banwick asked pointing to the still pouting child.

"Yes, her." Red stated and continued. "I knew no one on my floor had a baby, except Mrs. Johnson but her baby was about three at the time. Anyway, I put down the garbage and came over to see a weaved basket with a green blanket inside it and a note attached to it. The basket was just outside of Mr. Grunther's door."

"Mr. Grunther?" Mr. Banwick thought a moment. "Oh yes! Mr. Grunther! What a horrible man he was. What was such an…odd little girl doing outside that wretched man's door?" He asked.

"I'm getting there, Mr. Banwick." She commented shifting the now, quieter child to the other side. "Anyway, I read the note which was apparently from a friend of Mr. Grunther's that thought he'd be a good parent. But, Mr. Grunther had moved a few days before and I guess his friend didn't hear about it. So…I kind of took her in as my own." Red nuzzled the child affectionately; "She's my little angel." Buttercup struggled a bit at the sudden nuzzle but then gave a little nuzzle of her own back. 

"But…she has no nose…" Mr. Banwick pointed out again. Red shot him a dirty glare.

"That doesn't mean she's not a person!" She snapped quickly.

"I'm a angel." Buttercup responded also pouting she grabbed onto Mr. Banwick's glasses and started flinging them wildly. "An' yer a mean man!"

"And although she has no fingers, she can still grab things." Red nodded swiftly. She hoped Buttercup would break Mr. Banwick's glasses but she kept that to herself. Besides, she was still good friends with him. Despite his rudeness. "Come on Buttercup," She soothed softly taking Mr. Banwick's gold rimmed glasses from the child's mitt, "these are Mr. Banwick's." Red handed them to Mr. Banwick and decided to forget about his comments, after all, many people reacted the same way. 

Mr. Banwick adjusted his spectacles blinking a few times at the frowning little girl. He sighed knowing it was time to get things underway. He first apologized to his old friend.

"I'm sorry Red, I always get surprised by these nose-less tykes." He chuckled nervously. "Anyway, the shop is very busy and some of us have to get home for Christmas. So, I'll be taking you and two others at once." Mr. Banwick motioned for Red to follow him. 

_Which two other families to take?_ Mr. Banwick thought. He scanned the line again and saw an overly dressed Victoria Lukan standing impatiently with her little girl poised with perfect posture by her side. He really didn't like the Lukans and thought it best to get it over with as soon as possible. Mr. Banwick then saw a little blonde blur rush around his legs. He sighed; he'd give anything to get rid of all the children in line. But this one would do fine. _Okay,_ Mr. Banwick recapped his decision _my dear friend Red and her brat, those snobby Lukans, and the Fishers and the little tornado._ He nodded pleased with his decision. 

"Mrs. Lukan, Mr. Fisher, please follow me." He beckoned the families to follow him, "I'm afraid I'll have to take the three..er…" He recounted all the parties, "seven of you together."

"You mean…" Mrs. Lukan began, "all in the same photograph? Mr. Banwick I will not have my portrait be taken with five plebeians. And if you think that I will-" She began to rave, her redheaded child giving a slight nod. The solid gold tiara on top of the two-year-old's head bent foreword slightly as she agreed. The pure emeralds embedded in the tiara sparkled in the florescent light. The adornment was heavy but, for some reason, it didn't bother the child. She was dressed in a long green gown with no sleeves. It was held up in some miraculous way as she stood uncomfortably but remembering that she wasn't allowed to fidget. Her 24 karat shoes were also beginning to annoy her.

"Mrs. Lukan," Mr. Banwick sighed putting a hand to his forehead, "you won't take the photo _with_ them. I just mean that I'll have to take your pictures quickly, one after the other. There are many people in line. You three will just be the first batch."

The three families uneasily traveled single file behind Mr. Banwick and into the brightly lit and beautiful studio. Little Bubbles was still tearing around jumping and skipping alongside her parents while Blossom Lukan walked gracefully (well gracefully for a two-year-old) next to her mother, and Buttercup remained in her mother's arms. The three girls looked at one another, to examine the new "playmates" as the Mr. Banwick spoke again. 

"Now which one of you would like to go first?" Mr. Banwick asked to the parents.

"Well," Red started calmly, "I was before all of you so my daughter and I will go first." 

"Excellent, shall I-" Mr. Banwick began when Mrs. Lukan spoke up.

"I do not think so! My daughter and I shall go first. A Lukan is NEVER second to ANYBODY. Especially not to a philistine such as yourself." Victoria stuck her nose into the air. Red's mouth dropped open in surprise at the sheer insulting of Victoria's words.

"Well uh…" Mr. Banwick tried again to intervene. 

"Well, folks," Jack Fisher smiled as if he were advertising, "I understand where the two of you are coming from, but you see my family and I have a party to get to tonight and I do need to pick up my suit from the cleaner's. I would really hate to be late to that, especially since it's Christmas and all. Don't you ladies worry, we'll be done in a Jif." He smiled his winner's grin. But, Mrs. Lukan would not have it.

"Oh no you do not! A Lukan never goes second and I for one will not-"

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner!" Red interrupted finally getting over her shock. She put Buttercup down as not to drop her. "How rude of you to say that to-"

"NO ONE interrupts a Luk-"

"Now folks, it's getting late…" Jack also intruded. Before Mr. Banwick knew it, he had three arguing customers…wasting valuable time. He sighed trying to stop their bickering. Meanwhile, the children had found themselves strangely interested with one another. Each child toddled towards the other two (except Blossom who walked like a lady).

The toddlers stood in front of each other, a finger-less mitt to their faces. It was like a mirror image with different hair and eye colors. All had the same large eyes and large heads. They each lacked noses, ears, necks, digits, and although they weren't sure, bellybuttons. There was a long silence as they looked over one another. They felt that somehow they were connected to one another although they'd just met. But, their young minds couldn't compute how. Bubbles broke the silence. 

"Yer funny lookin'." She plainly stated. Buttercup frowned and crossed her little arms.

"Yer not so preety either." She also mispronounced. Blossom spoke up.

"You two look oddly familiar to me although I do not believe we have made acquaintances." Blossom said very articulately. The other two stared blankly at her.

"And ya talk funny." Bubbles nodded her head. Blossom rolled her big pink eyes. _Philistine_ She thought. She tried again to make intelligent communication. 

"Perhaps we are actually related to one another. Perhaps we are sisters." She suggested putting her hands behind her back.

"Not-uh." Buttercup shook her head, tiny curls flying in front of her face. "I'm a only kid. My Mommy's over der." She pointed with her mitt at the arguing woman in red.

"She's preety." Bubbles commented looking thoughtfully at Red, then to her own mother, then back to Red.

"Yup." Buttercup smiled proudly. 

"My mother is prettier." Blossom stated matter-of-factly. Buttercup shot daggers at her with her green eyes.

"She is not! My mommy's much more better." She cried.

"No one is better than a Lukan." Blossom stuck her…face into the air arrogantly. This was what she had been taught her entire life, and some little philistine wasn't about to change her mind. The tiny brunette's temper flared as the strange girl made fun of the most important person in her life.

"Well my Mommy is and so am I!" Buttercup quickly snatched the tiara off of the little Lukan's head. Blossom cried out in surprise reaching for her token of pride.

"That is mine you little brat! How dare you touch something of beauty with your unworthy hands!" Blossom snatched at the golden idol.

"Nah nah!" Buttercup stuck out her tongue. "Yer mean an' not nice an' this is mine now."

"Yer doin' sumtin' baaaaadd." Bubbles pointed out. "I'm tellin'!" She skipped off to tattle to her father. The moments of recognition and understanding were over as Blossom fought for her crown. "Dah-dy! Dah-dy!" The tornado cried tugging at her father's pant leg. But, the handsome man was much too involved in his own argument.

"Now see here, Miss…" He argued, ignoring his child. She frowned and began to tug at her mother's dress. But her mother also ignored her, just wishing for a smoke. 

"Mom-my!" Bubbles pleaded. But the woman didn't even look down.

"Well, you are a brutish and horrible child! I will have your mother fired from where ever she works! We Lukans own this town!" Blossom stated stomping her gold shoes on the ground in a princess hissy fit. Buttercup giggled.

"Sticks an' stones may break my bones but….but…" Buttercup brought a mitt to her non-existent chin, struggling to remember the rest. Blossom took the opportunity and snatched back her tiara. "Hey!"

"Ha!" Blossom laughed, readjusting her headpiece; "You are also slow-witted and dumb." Buttercup burned.

"You callin' me stoopid?" 

"You are just proving my point. Now go away before you embarrass yourself further." Blossom dismissed the angered peasant. She suddenly found herself to the floor. "OOF! How dare you! This dress is worth more than your life! Get off before you-OOF!" Buttercup smashed Blossom harshly across the face. 

This was both of the two-year-old's first fight…ever. But they felt as though they'd done it before, even with one another. Buttercup's insatiable temper fired up as she knocked the prissy princess across the face. She brought her clenched…mitt up and smashed again, pinning Blossom down as she continued to fight. Blossom, too, had never been in a fight but found her own rage rising. The Lukan's were never to usually engage in such caveman behavior. But Blossom's temper was far worse than her mother's or any other blood-related Lukan. She began to fight back.

"MOM-MY!" The tornado told as the two toddlers tousled. Nancy shook her head and waved Bubbles away.

"Go away, honey. Not now." Nancy held her head. Bubbles was persistent though as the fighting got worse and worse. _People shouldn't fight. This is bad._ She thought tugging harder.

Blossom had Buttercup's locket in her mitt and was pulling it hard while Buttercup held Blossom's tiara again. The golden locket's chain broke and shattered. Buttercup's eyes widened as her precious locket's chain broke.

"My locket!" She screeched reaching for it desperately no longer interested in fighting or the tiara. "Give it back give it back!" She reached but Blossom held it out of her reach. 

"Give me back my priceless emerald-studded tiara, and you may have your cheap piece of junk." Blossom stated waving the shinning heart-locket in the air. Buttercup was desperate for her gift. It was Buttercup's very first present from her mother for that Christmas. Red had told her that she would have one too, so they could keep each other close to their hearts. Buttercup and her mother's picture were inside that locket, Buttercup's picture on one side her mother's on the other.

"Okay okay! Please give it back!" She begged. Buttercup handed Blossom her tiara. But while Blossom's hand got close to giving back the heart-locket, she grew an evil smirk and took it away along with her tiara. "HEY!" Buttercup shouted at the dirty trick. 

"Ha! That should teach you." Blossom put the tiara into place again. "No one quarrels with a Lukan." Buttercup reached back.

"Gimme my locket! That's my locket! Is mine is mine!" Buttercup quickly grabbed onto one side of the locket.

"HEY!" Blossom grabbed onto the locket tight. Both toddlers began to pull.

Bubbles frowned upon her mother's ignoring and began to tug on the hem of Red's dress. Red immediately looked down to the blue-eyed child.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Red questioned disengaging in the argument as Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Lukan battled on.

"Mrs. Lady ma'am." Bubbles began cutely pointing out a mitt. "Yer lil' girl and the other girl are fightin' an' no one's stoppin' em." The blonde babe looked towards the brawling toddlers.

"OH MY GOD!" Red cried rushing over to stop her tiny child. _Oh goodness no! I've tried so hard to get rid of that violent streak._ "Buttercup no!" She cried. Suddenly, the locket broke, the hinge snapping the locket into two sections, from the surprisingly strong force being exerted upon it. Blossom and Buttercup fell back to the tiled floor. "Oh no!" Red cried rushing over to the children. Even Jack and Victoria stopped long enough to notice the children lying on their backs. Red rushed over to the two. "Are you two all right?"

"Oh my God." Mrs. Lukan covered her mouth with her skinny hands, "That dress is worth $32,000! If that dress is ruined, I will sue!" Victoria walked swiftly (not wanting to ruin her lady-like disposition) to her child.

"See," Bubbles said, "I toldja ya shoulda lis'ened ta me." Bubbles stated as the mothers came to their children's side.

"Buttercup baby, are you all right?" She cradled her small child. The toddler's mouth was opened wide in shock. Suddenly, the two-year-old let out a wail and clutched herself to her mother. 

"Mommy! Mommy! She broked it! She broked it!" The toddler wept into the velvet red of her dress. Red held her child into her, hushing her softly. But, the little girl was practically in hysterics. The locket had meant practically everything to her. 

Blossom stared over at the mother and daughter. She felt a pang of something in her chest. She'd never felt this before. It felt bad. She was ashamed of what she had done. The little curly-topped kid was weeping so hard Blossom's own eyes began to water.

"Oh my goodness!" Victoria forced Blossom to her feet. "Get up, get up!" She searched over the child's dress looking for marks. "If there is one mark on this dress that women will be sued." Mrs. Lukan was relieved to find no marks on the green gown. She looked over her child. "Oh my, you are not hurt are you darling?" Victoria finally asked. Blossom's eyes were watering.

"Mommy I feel bad." Blossom said putting a hand to her heart. 

"Well, do not worry. I will sue that woman so much she will be in the pauper's house for her entire life! Her and that obnoxious little brat!" Victoria glared at the redheaded woman and her dark-haired daughter. 

"No, I feel bad inside. My heart hurts. I did something bad." She looked down sadly. Mrs. Lukan was flustered and in almost a state of hysterics herself.

"Oh no!" She began grabbing her child's hand. But because Blossom was so short, it seemed pointless to try to drag the toddler along. "Come Blossom!" She marched up to Mr. Banwick who was baffled on what to do. "Mr. Banwick, I will NEVER come back to such a place where they serve MISCREANTS such as THAT wretched woman. How dare you let CRIMINALS into this place."

Red felt her heart sting as Mrs. Lukan called her a name many had yelled to her before. Because of her parent's notorious careers, many people assumed Red followed in the same manner. But, Red ignored the comment, getting into another fight would only prove to be a bad example to her wailing child. 

"I will have you and that woman and this whole block SUED! You should be ashamed!" She took her finger from where she pointed it directly into Mr. Banwick's chest. "And you," She then turned her attention to Red and her tiny trembling toddler. "You are the most despicable woman I have ever met! You and your little brat deserve that broken piece of trash." Victoria glared nastily spitting out the next words (not literally spitting, she's too lady-like), "You should have blown up in that bank like your parents." 

Red's mouth dropped open in surprise. The hurtful words rung in her ears and she felt tears well up in her own eyes. She'd never heard anybody say such a thing. She felt her world shatter and her heart break. She bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep the tears away. Buttercup just gripped harder onto her mother. Red was reminded of the one thing that brought her strength and held Buttercup to her. The two would be each other's support. 

"Come Blossom. Let us leave these plebeians." She marched out of the studio, but Blossom remained looking sorrow-filled. "I said COME!" Mrs. Lukan grabbed her daughter by the hand and practically dragged her away. Blossom called back quickly.

"I'm sorry!" But, Mrs. Lukan was already out the door. Blossom looked down in defeat. 

"Hush now, Buttercup." Red whispered, hiding her tears as the two sat in the middle of the floor.

"But…but she broked it Mommy. Is aw broked." The child held up the tiny heart-locket. The side she had had Red's smiling picture in it. But, the child was still very upset. Red kissed the child's forehead gently.

"It's okay, sunshine, all that matters is that you're all right. We can fix the locket." Red smiled looking into her daughter's green eyes. Buttercup sniffed softly holding the golden token to her heart. 

"Really?" She felt more reassured. Red nodded and wiped the tears away from her child's cheek.

"Don't worry, darling, it's just a little busted up. We'll fix it." She scooped her child into her arms and Buttercup's bright smile shined through. 

"Les get it fizzed now!" She exclaimed feeling better all ready. Red nuzzled her, happy that her daughter was smiling again. 

"Mr. Banwick," Red turned to the frightened man, "we'll have to reschedule. We need to get home. I'm so sorry about the disturbance." Red politely bowed her head, the long dress caressing the tiled floor. "Thank you anyway." Red smiled brightly, although inside Mrs. Lukan's words still hurt her.

"Oh, Red, I…I'm sorry that that woman had to…I mean she was…" Mr. Banwick stammered. Red shook it off.

"Don't worry Mr. Banwick. We'll be fine. We'll reschedule for a different time. You do have a lot of people to see." She nodded and left. "Goodbye Mr. Banwick. Have a wonderful day." She carried her toddler out the door. 

"Bye nice lady!" Bubbles cried as Red and Buttercup left. She turned toward her father who had witnessed the whole scene. "Ya shoulda lis'ened ta me, Dah-dy." The tornado giggled and skipped. "I dun a good thing. I'm sut a good gurl!" The child giggled and skipped around.

"Well I guess this means we can go first." Jack smiled without any sympathy for either family. Mr. Banwick shrugged but prepared the camera.

"Aren I good, Dah-dy?" The child chortled. Jack so badly wanted her to be quiet, just for once. He rubbed his forehead as Nancy stood next to him. 

"Let's just get this over with. I'm tired and I need a smoke." Nancy whined as Bubbles began to pester Mr. Banwick.

"I swear Nancy," He whispered, "I'm just gonna snap and whack that brat. I'm just gonna I'm gonna…" He grit his teeth clenching his fists.

"It's okay Jack. It's just the terrible two's and that stuff." Nancy sighed as she stated the sentence blandly. 

"Just one of these times Nancy…" He trailed off as Mr. Banwick chased after the tornado, struggling to halt the destructive child. 

In the stretch limo of the Lukan's, Blossom Laura Lukan sat far away from her well-dressed mother. Blossom looked toward her blonde-haired mother who was relaying the whole story to their chauffeur, Xaiver, who looked quite bored.

"And then my poor baby is on the ground and..and…oh I just can not believe it." Victoria whipped out her cell phone; "I am calling our lawyers. They will sue that nasty, NASTY woman. Do not worry Blossom. Your mother will make them pay. No one attacks a Lukan." Victoria stated listening intently to the cell phone.

"Mother," Blossom began, "I don't want you to sue them. They looked so sad. And I'm really quite all right." She looked toward her mother. "I just feel so…so bad…" Blossom's eyes welled up with tears. 

"Ah, ah, ah!" Mrs. Lukan held up a finger to Blossom, "Crying ruins make-up. No tears, no problem." Victoria returned to her phone. "Damn it all! Christmas Eve Day and everybody thinks they can take the day off!" She hung up quickly. "I am calling Charles. He will hear of this outrage." She dialed a long extended number. Blossom frowned.

"Mother…Mommy." She tried calling her mother that again; "I don't WANT you to sue them. They didn't hurt me. I'm okay. Let's just not sue them and maybe even say we're sorry." Blossom stated. Mrs. Lukan hung up the cell phone and Blossom smiled.

"Dear Lord. Those wretched people have made you use contractions. I think I will faint." Victoria put the backside of her hand to her forehead. Blossom frowned, her mother would never EVER understand. Her mother was to high above, to prim and proper. She was just another thing to her mother. But, it would take Blossom YEARS to realize this. At that moment, all she knew is for the first time in her life her mother was NOT right. Blossom frowned and looked at the half of a locket still in her mitt. 

The picture of a black-haired little girl smiled back at her. This was the little girl she had made cry that very day. This was a picture of the little girl she'd hurt. And Blossom felt bad. Although Blossom couldn't understand it entirely yet, she decided to keep the locket, to remember that day and that feeling and that one person. She was on her way to realizing the truth. She wished she'd never hurt that girl. But wishing was what had started everything. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"No one knows where it came from, or how it was created, they just knew it was magic. By the very look of the pebble, you could tell it was magic. It was always glowing and always sparkling, no matter how dark it was. Some say Merlin, the old wizard, created it. Others say that it was a wishing star, fallen from heaven. Still others say that it was a moon rock directly between the dark and light sides of the moon that was thrown to earth by a meteor shower. But nobody knows for sure. All they know is that it has magical powers to grant one's heart's desire.

"A long time ago, a young man found the pebble and kept it for no other reason then he might sell it. He was in debt and couldn't pay out of it. So, while he held the pebble, he wished for enough money to pay off the debt. And the next morning, when the man woke up, he found all the money needed right in his bed!

"A lowly peasant found the pebble one day while he was begging on the streets. He held the pebble in his shaky hands and wished to be king of a whole kingdom! The next morning when the peasant woke up, he found himself covered in rich clothing and in a huge bed! He had a gigantic and beautiful kingdom and an exquisite castle.

"The list continues of the amazing feats of the wishing stone. It helped millions of people with their problems and gave them what they wished for. But, one day a jealous individual took the pebble to a far off place to keep it for himself. Before anyone could stop the person, he traveled to a place filled with monsters and was eaten alive! The selfish person died along with the pebble. It was forever trapped inside the belly of a beast. But, it was all for the better because the stone had a dark side. If one were too-"

"Aw enough all ready!" Buttercup cried putting her hands over her non-existent ears. "I've heard enough of these lame stories, sheesh!" She cried flopping backward on the tri-colored bed.

It was Mother's Day and the sun was shinning brightly. The three puffs were sitting comfortably on their bed with nothing to do. Considering that the three had no mother, they had nothing to celebrate. To keep their minds off of mothers, Blossom took out a book from the library. A fairy tale book, from Bubbles's constant insisting. The book contained hundreds of stories of magical forests, pixies, unicorns, all-powerful weapons, and a particular wishing stone. But, while the intriguing stories did pass the time, it was just too much for Buttercup to take all the cutesy, magical whatever. She pouted staring outside.

"This is even worse than when it's raining! Why doesn't something attack all ready?!" Buttercup goaded the monsters, shouting out the window. But no one paid any heed. She muttered and flopped back down on the bed.

"I like the stories." Bubbles said from her cross-legged position on the bed. She'd found the stories delightful. They took her mind off of that particular day and they all sounded wonderful. Bubbles pretended to hold something in her hands. "Oh magic wishing pebble…" She giggled, "I wish that Buttercup would like the stories too." She closed her eyes tight and then opened them smiling. Buttercup gave her a flat look.

"It didn't work." Buttercup grumbled. Bubbles shrugged.

"It was worth a try. Go ahead Blossom," Bubbles lied down on her stomach propping her head up with her hands. "I wanna hear the rest." Bubbles's big blue eyes shined brightly waiting for the end of the tale.

"Actually Bubbles, I kind of agree with Buttercup on this one." Blossom stated shutting the old book. The sparkle in the blonde's eyes faded. "I think we shouldn't be cooped up in our room all day just because it's Mother's Day." Blossom gave a smile. What was so trying about Mother's Day anyway? What were they so upset about anyway? Just cause they didn't have a mother. Just because they never experienced that kind of special relationship before or had any real female influence shouldn't be depressing them. There was Miss. Bellum but…she wasn't always there around the house or when they needed her. It was just that…when the Professor got locked up in his lab for so long they'd get so lonely and worried. Blossom just wished there was someone else there to take care of the Professor and her sisters and…her too. She shook her head from the thoughts.

"Let's get some ice cream!" Bubbles suggested piping up quickly. The day was kind of getting her down also. It was hard to imagine the blue-eyed puff down in the dumps but it always depressed her just a little around Mother's Day or Grandparent's Day. Without a mother, it was just another May gone bye. Bubbles always envied the other kids and how lucky they were to have someone who was always there. The Professor was kind of like their Mommy and their Daddy. It wasn't like he was a bad parent or anything, but sometimes Bubbles wanted a mommy just so the Professor wouldn't be so lonely or so that he wouldn't be so busy with trying to raise them. Not to mention that her sisters and her could get a fair amount of attention with a mother around. Maybe a mommy to spend a little mother-daughter time together…maybe just the two of them. That would be real nice. Blossom shrugged in response to Bubbles's suggestion.

"Sure I don't see why not." She gave a warm smile and Bubbles leapt up in joy. 

"Come on, Buttercup!" Bubbles squealed in delight and raced down the stairs. Buttercup decided that ice cream sounded like a good idea. Deep down inside, Buttercup wanted a mother too. She never really voiced her opinion about another authority figure around the house but she thought it wouldn't be so bad. The Professor tried a whole mother-thing with Ima Goodlady, but that didn't work out so well. And he was really happy at first too. He never tried someone else to date and they were worried that he might be getting lonely again. He just got wrapped up in his work. A mother would be someone to keep them company when the Professor couldn't, to understand their problems a little better, maybe pay a bit more attention to them individually when they were especially down. Sometimes it was easy to be overshadowed by the other two; it would be nice to have someone to concentrate on only them without the other two being ignored. Just to get some personal attention. 

All three girls began to fly downstairs when a familiar buzzing sound echoed from the bedroom. The three girls paused as the "ringing" continued. Buttercup's eyes lit up and Bubbles began to get excited as the buzzing grew.

"The Hotline!" Blossom cried stating the obvious. She zwipped as fast as she could and practically tackled the red phone off of its cradle her sisters eagerly following. "Yes Mayor!" Blossom asked boldly waiting enthusiastically for the Mayor's response.

"Bwah! Blossom, I forgot to buy Christmas presents! The Mrs. is gonna kill me! I don't know what to do I-"

"Mayor!" Blossom shouted a little agitated.

"Yes?"

"Today is Mother's Day." Blossom frowned and her two sisters looked flatly at the phone.

"Oh!" The Mayor's voice gained a happy tone. "Thank you, Blossom." He hung up. Blossom sighed and hung up the phone. Suddenly it began to buzz again. Blossom picked up the phone quickly.

"Yes Mayor!" She cried again, hoping for some action.

"Bwah! Help! It's Groundhog's Day and I keep living my life over and over and-"

"Mayor!" Blossom shouted again.

"Yes?"

"It's Mother's Day….Mayor." Blossom questioned the political system for the millionth time in her mind. The Mayor let out a pleasant sounding laugh.

"Oh, yes! Thank you, Blossom." The Mayor hung up again. Before Buttercup could complain, the Hotline buzzed again. Bubbles sighed. Blossom picked up the phone a little more annoyed.

"Mother's Day, Mayor." She said quickly.

"Oh that's nice." The Mayor said. Blossom was about to hang up when the Mayor's panicked voice sounded through the phone. "But there's a giant monster DESTROYING THE CITY!! HEEELLLPPP!!" The Mayor squawked shrilly. "Save me." Blossom's face lit up.

"We're on our way, Mayor!" She exclaimed joyously hanging up the phone. "Come on girls! There's a giant monster destroying the city!" 

"All right! Some action!" Buttercup's eyes narrowed in a strangely happy determination. Bubbles smiled also pleased to leave the house, especially on that day. 

"Fine'ly!" She giggled.

"Let's go!" Blossom exclaimed her practically trademarked expletive. The three super-powered girls burst through the roof in a rainbow of pink, blue, and green. They soared over the bright blue skies. Passing a plethora of white, puffy clouds. The city seemed especially active today with all the mothers of Townsville enjoying their day of praise. The whole metropolis seemed to emanate the love of the citizens on that day. It was as if the whole world were rubbing it in their faces. They kept their minds on track though. There was plenty of time for self-pity later.

The super trio reached a part of the city that was not radiating with maternal love and pride. Over-turned cars littered the cracked streets, bashed in street lights hung limply from short-circuiting wires, there were people screaming and running like chickens with their heads cut off, and buildings crumbling with shattered windows surrounded the super heroines ominously. A hideously ear-piercing screech split through the air and hit the girls' ears like a dagger. The three clamped their mitts over the spots where their ears should have been. They turned their gaze toward where the sound came from and gasped.

The monster stood over a hundred feet tall on it's lizardish back legs it's lengthy tail retaining its balance. It shone a blood red with bright glowing yellow eyes. The monster appeared dragon-like with an alligatorish head and two purple fins sticking off like ears. The hideous head was attached to a long neck that stretched down with purple spikes adorning the creature's back. It hissed loudly with its forked-tongue through sharp teeth. It fell foreword onto its stubby front legs hissing and spiting a greenish color to the ground. The spittle burst through a building burning through anything and everything it touched. The monster suddenly spread out two very large, spiked, ebony, bat-like wings with purple and red veins criss-crossing in the burning sunlight. The wings knocked over several buildings as they stretched majestically.

"It's almost beautiful." Buttercup said aloud. Bubbles and Blossom gave her a funny look. "To bad it has to get a butt-whoopin'!" She exclaimed. Blossom nodded, preparing the assault. 

"Bubbles, you distract the monster long enough for Buttercup to hit it in the head. I'll go for the chest. And watch out for that acid spit. Go!" Blossom cried in total leader-mode. Bubbles took off in a flash of baby blue. 

She flew in front of the monster's hideous and soulless sallow eyes. She stuck out her tongue at the beast playfully. The beast, although unsure, thought this might have been some sort of challenge. It hissed and snapped its head to the side swiftly.

"Can't catch me!" Bubbles laughed and flew around its head playfully. The dragon creature hissed further and snapped its jaws viciously at the tiny girl. The monster was so swift it nearly caught Bubbles in its teeth. "Eek!" She cried, the sharp incisors nearly ripping her apart. The monster's head shot forth again with nearly blindingly fast speed. As its head thrust foreword again, a blackish saliva dripped from its tawny fangs. "Hurry!" Bubbles cried with a squeal wishing to be back with the nice book of fairy tales and a bowl of vanilla ice cream. 

Buttercup smiled devilishly as she headed a flying kick straight for the back of the creature's head. No problem here, just to kick it and…She thought as her tiny Mary Jane clad foot connected with a large red scale. As he foot hit, Buttercup felt a shot of pain rip through her whole leg. 

"YEOUCH!" She cried clutching her throbbing foot. "Ow….YOU!" Buttercup cried again angrily. She threw a punch at the back of its head to avenge her aching foot. "OW!" Buttercup grasped her now stinging mitt. 

Blossom raced for the monster's chest with determination in her pink irises. Her mind was calculating her air speed and distance with her basic power level compared to the monsters bulk. She evaluated quickly just how much force she would need to strike the creature with. Blossom kicked in an extra boost and rammed into the dragon's exposed chest. Unfortunately as soon as she met with its chest, her whole head pounded with pain. 

"OUCH!" She cried rubbing her head wearily. Blossom looked up to see the monster didn't even notice she'd hit it.

"It's just like in the story!" Bubbles called dodging the vicious beast's lightning-fast teeth, "A dragon's scales are as hard as diamonds!" She nearly missed death as the chompers came inches from her face. "EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" 

"What now Leader Girl?" Buttercup growled, nursing her injured foot and mitt.

"Ow…" Blossom rubbed her head further and noticed that the monster was now rearing up on its hind legs, exposing its stomach. Suddenly, Blossom's thoughts strayed back to a book she'd read a few months ago. Something called The Hobbit. She was reminded on how there was one place in the dragon's stomach that was vulnerable. It was risky but worth a shot. "Bubbles, keep it distracted. Buttercup, see if you can maybe hit it in the eyes. They may be weak. I've got an idea. Now go!" She hollered.

"I don't know how much longer I can distract it!" Bubbles called down not noticing a glob of greasy green spit shoot out at her. The blob was headed straight for the blonde-haired girl at an alarming speed. Bubbles was suddenly torn out of the path of the spit and it flew through a few brick buildings. "WHOA!" Bubbles cried. She looked to see an angry Buttercup practically starring her down.

"Pay attention, Bubble-brain!" Buttercup shouted, "You wanna get yourself killed?" Buttercup flew to try to hit it in its almond eyes. Bubbles let out a deep breath, frightened on how close she might have come to death. She gave a bright smile toward Buttercup; she'd have to thank her after the battle.

Blossom dove toward the dragon's stomach (which was now facing the ground), passing under rows and rows of scaly red. She turned so her back was to the ground and her stomach was faced towards the monster's stomach. Blossom scanned quickly over the columns of uniform scales. Just when she thought that she'd have to try a different tactic, she spotted something. 

One of the dragon's stomach scales was glowing. It illuminated a light color that seemed to stay bright even through the blood red color. Blossom approached the shinning plate carefully, her eyes fixated on it. Was this the weak link? The answer? Her eyes were obsessed with it. The steady, pulsing glow of the scale, like from somewhere behind it, something was calling her. She put a mitt against the rough surface of the scale. It was so jagged, her flesh actually ripped as she moved her hand across it. But Blossom didn't care. There was something about that scale…

Suddenly the monster jerked at Blossom's touch. It let out a high-pitched scream like something had just stabbed it. Its forked tongue lashed out like a whip, cracking at Bubbles. She dodged and grabbed hold of the slimy tongue. She shuddered at its bumpy touch. Bubbles began to yank on the tongue harshly, causing the monster to shriek again 

Buttercup had been trying to destroy one of the dragon's monstrously huge eyes, but there was a filmy layer surrounding it, like a second eyelid. But while struggling to do any kind of damage to the eye, Buttercup noticed the monster's scream and took the chance. The dragon's eyes had opened wide, revealing the clearly yellow eyeball. Buttercup winded up her fist and smashed it into the monster's eye so hard it exploded onto her in a rush of burning hot black liquid. The eye burst with such scalding explosion Buttercup screamed as the glutinous inky blood poured over her and into her open mouth. Her whole mouth scorched with the taste of the monster blood and her body blistered with the feel of it's oozing plasma. The dragon screeched again. 

Blossom shook from her trance and thrust her fist with all her might into the weak scale. The monster's scale burst open and a burning black liquid began to gush out. The dragon's one eye widened as its weakness had been found. Blossom barley dodged as her hand felt the flaming hot blood. She grit her teeth and attacked the spot with all her might, ignoring the stinging of her hand. The monster snapped its head in the air again and took off, flapping its giant wings weakly. With its Achilles heel located, the creature began to retreat, closing one of its eyes and trying the shake the girl from its tongue.

"Oh no you don't!" Bubbles cried. She grabbed onto the tongue and using all of her strength, picked the entire monster up by it's tongue and began whirling it above her head. She swung it faster and faster, until it looked like a red blurry tornado. Suddenly, a sickeningly loud snap was heard and another banshee-like scream echoed from the dragon's throat as it careened into the stratosphere. Bubbles looked puzzled until she noticed the still writhing tongue in her mitts. "Whoops. Tee hee." Bubbles giggled and dropped the tongue top the ground. She flew quickly to check on her sisters. "Are you okay?" Bubbles asked approaching Blossom.

"I'm fine." Blossom commented, "Except for my hand, I think I might have gotten some of that icky blood in it." Blossom held up her blackened mitt.

"Ewwwww." Bubbles shielded herself from the mitt. "How's Buttercup?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since-" Blossom was cut-off by a blood-curtailing scream. She looked to see a thick steaming coating of ebony blood covering her sister.

"It burns! It BURNS!" Buttercup screeched the sickening taste still in her mouth. She thought she'd retch as she tried to wipe it off.

"Calm down, Buttercup!" Blossom cried. "Bubbles, get a water tower!" Bubbles nodded quickly, understanding and flew to the nearest building with one on it. She wrenched it from its metal restrains and raced back toward her sister.

"Here ya go Buttercup!" Bubbles cried dousing her blackened sister in a bought of freezing cold water. Steam hissed off of the puffs body as the black blood washed off of her quickly pouring onto the streets below. It felt refreshing against Buttercup's burning skin.. 

"Thanks Bubbles." Buttercup sighed. 

"Well it's the least I can do after you saved my life." Bubbles gave a tiny smile and chucked the water tower away. "Thank you!" 

"Good work, girls." Blossom nodded happily. The team had done a fine job with minimal amount of damage to the town and themselves. "Let's go home and get cleaned up…more so." Blossom nodded and took off.

"This stinks! Not only do I get burned but I have to take a bath too. This bites." Buttercup grumbled globs of black blood still sticking to her. She gripped miserably as she flew after. Bubbles giggled. She was about to take off when something caught her attention.

A shinning and glittering speck shown brightly on the asphalt below. Bubbles floated down curiously. There was a pile of black blood on the ground with a speck shimmering beneath it. Bubbles turned her head to the side curiously and began wiping away the blood. It stung her tiny mitts, but her mind was set on locating that…thing. 

She pushed aside layer upon layer of coal blood and found a tiny orb. Bubbles picked up the perfectly round sphere and held it in front of her eyes. It glowed brightly in a color Bubbles thought she'd never seen before. It was as if she held a tiny pixie in her hands. Like the essence of magic. The orb had a warm luminescence to it, and although it was perfectly silent, its rhythmic radiance seemed to sing to Bubbles. She smiled at the tiny sphere. Bubbles gripped it tight and flew off after her sisters. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hours after the monster's attack, the three girls found themselves bored once again. The Professor was still locked away in his prison of a laboratory without even noticing the girl's absence nor their return. He didn't even surface to assist with their wounds, not that he knew they had any. They didn't bother to tell him; they were worried that they might ruin his experiment.

Bubbles had left the battle with no wounds what so ever and had headed straight for her coloring table to draw some pretty pictures to help cheer her up. The sun was setting and Bubbles sighed sadly looking at the plethora of drawings she'd created in the time she'd been home. Who would appreciate them? All the hard work and effort to choose the right colors and shapes…who would look at it with the same admiration and understanding? Her sisters wouldn't appreciate it fully. The Professor would like it but not fully understand the hard work. After all, he wouldn't have enough time to pay attention to it with her sisters always arguing and needing attention too. She had once said, "Three puffs just aren't enough." Well, one parent didn't seem like enough either. Bubbles wanted someone to take care of her while she was sick, to kiss her goodnight and tell her that she loved her, to read her a bedtime story, to take Bubbles and sit her in her lap and to just enjoy Puppet Pals with her. But the Professor could do ALL those things and did. It was just the fact that sometimes that couldn't happen. It was between his work, her sisters, paying the bills, cleaning the house…Bubbles didn't like to stay sad though. She wasn't neglected or anything. Yeah, she had a good life. It's just sometimes her mind strayed to the thought of a mother. 

Bubbles sighed again scribbling over her beautiful picture with a sea green crayon. She accidentally bumped one of her golden rod crayons to the floor. Bubbles bent to pick it up when a light glowing caught her attention. Her shoe was glowing a bright color that radiated from inside. This puzzled Bubbles for a second when she remembered the tiny orb that she had picked up. She'd had no other place to put it so she put it in her Mary Janes. Bubbles smiled brightly; the shimmering sphere was so pretty and beautiful. It made her forget her sadness. 

The PowerPuff picked up the pebble pleasantly. It seemed to hum softly in her mitt. She closed her hand around it and it shown like she was covering over a flashlight. Bubbles giggled happily lifting the orb up and playing with it. What a strange stone it was indeed. 

Elsewhere in the Utonium household, Blossom was slowly nursing her bandaged hand. The rough scale had left her with quite a mark across her mitt plus the burning hot ooze didn't really help. It didn't hurt anymore, the pain long since subsided, but she held it anyway, staring out the window in the living room. 

She sighed dejectedly. She couldn't hide that she was still upset over a lot of things. Like how she'd acted on the battlefield. What kind of a leader gets entertained by "shiny objects" and stops in the middle of the fight to just stare? Blossom wasn't there for her sisters when they needed her. She felt personally responsible for Buttercup's injuries. If she had paid attention to the situation and done what she was supposed to in the first place…well that battle was over. Buttercup was all right, but a little annoyed, Bubbles was fine, the monster was gone. Blossom tried not to fret on the details, but decided just to pay more attention next time.

Blossom stared out the window, putting her bandaged mitt to her downtrodden face. In the distance the sun was lowering behind the Levittown of Pokey Oaks. The sky glittered in golds and pinks that raced across the sky encircling one another in a spectacular light show that few cared to watch. The reflection of sky was seen in the young girl's eyes. It was seldom that Blossom got a chance to appreciate it too. She just wished someone were there to share that with her. 

Her mind suddenly skipped to the thought of a mother sitting beside her, watching the sun set on the hills, describing to her all of what the world had to offer. Blossom scolded herself for thinking such things. Her eyes broke away from Heaven's display as she sat down. What was with her today? Just because it was Mother's Day she had to suddenly do nothing but feel sorry for herself? She never cared much about a mother before. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The thought had crossed her mind several times, but she'd never thought about it this much.

Blossom shook her head suddenly, and gave a soft laugh at herself. What would Bubbles and Buttercup say of their leader, seeing her like this? They'd just laugh at her. Besides, what good was a mother anyway? The Professor could do anything that a mother could do, if not more. He was a great parent and understood their duties to Townsville. Of course! A mother wouldn't understand their necessity to the city. A mother would just fawn all over them saying "Oh my poor babies! It's too rough! They're too young!" On and on and on. Not the Professor. He understood their needs and the city's needs. A mother? Hah! She wouldn't understand anyway.

As the pink puff continued her mother bashing trying not to feel bad for herself, Buttercup was sitting in the bathroom quietly readjusting some of her bandages. She growled lowly to herself. Her whole body stung with the remembrance of the boiling oil that had washed over her. How was she to know the stupid dragon's blood would be so hot? Buttercup couldn't help but shudder at the memory of the thick black ooze washing over her, scalding ever part of her body. Her scream had seemed hopelessly lost in that sea of midnight that flowed into her open mouth. She put a hand to her mouth remembering the disgusting taste of the blood; it had trickled down the back of her throat scorching everything it touched. That had to have been the most disgusting thing she'd encountered since Roach Coach. 

Buttercup dipped a green wash cloth underneath the cool water of the faucet. The water spread over and through the green cloth and she watched it, feeling tired. She removed it from the cold water and placed it on her face, as if trying to wash out the memories. Another of her bandages slowly slid off her hand and she growled at it from behind the towel.

The green puff had refused to let Blossom do her bandages. Blossom, who was a little better trained in the medical profession, insisted but Buttercup declined harshly. She knew Blossom would've done a better job but…who did Blossom think she was? Her mother? Heh, she had no mother and her sister was not going to be any kind of replacement. Buttercup sighed, trying to fix her poor bandaging job as she sat on the toilet seat. 

A mother. Buttercup had considered having a mother before. She hadn't really thought about it in depth…no that was a lie. She thought about it a lot. A whole lot. Today was no different. The Professor was a good parent…no a great parent. Buttercup just wanted someone to…to take care of her when she felt down. Who could teach her things. Not like academic things but more about how to do things different. So why couldn't the Professor do that?

It was different; he didn't have the time. There were too many girls and not enough Professor. Buttercup mostly thought about it because she had more time to think about it. Bubbles was so intent on being happy in her own little world and the simple shiny things that distracted her (like pebbles) and Blossom was so concerned with her leadership and being a good role model, that they didn't have time to consider it as much as she did. The possibility had only been a little dull ring in her mind at certain times. It wasn't like she obsessed over it. Just thought about it a little more. Sometimes she'd think about it at night and it'd seep into her dreams. She had this one dream she couldn't get out of her head when she slept. It was a stupid dream really and Buttercup thought sometimes that she hated it…or at least thinking like that. 

It would be late at night in her dream, Buttercup would wake up terrified for some reason, her dream would never say. She would wake up in the dream and begin to scream and cry, despite any dignity she may have had in reality. The Professor would run in all worried and head to her. Buttercup would raise her arms, wanting to be held. Suddenly, Bubbles would start to wail and scream hysterically as if watching a murder before her innocent little eyes. The Professor, concerned for the more distressed child would re-route his attention to the bawling blue-eyed girl. Buttercup would lower her arms, sniffling softly, and watch the Professor comfort her sister. She would watch, craving the attention and solace. Out of nowhere, a dark figure would appear. But, it wasn't ominous, and almost seemed friendly. It would walk over to the bed and pick up the sullen Buttercup. It was another person, another parent, a mother. She never had any real description to her; she had a face like any normal person. Buttercup just couldn't really distinguish the features though. The mother figure would hush her and say, "It's okay, I'm here now." And the dream Buttercup would feel just so comforted. Then the Professor would put the satiated Bubbles under the covers. Then, the Professor and the dream mother would carry Buttercup off to their room and they'd tuck her into the middle of the bed between the two of them. And all three would fall asleep. And Buttercup, in reality, would wake up.

She couldn't help dream that dream sometimes. She hated it and liked it. Buttercup always felt so comfortable in that woman's arms. She growled lowly. No, that dream was stupid and unrealistic. First off she'd NEVER wake up screaming and crying and second off, they were never getting a mother and she shouldn't care anyway. Stupid dream… 

"Hey you guys!" Blossom cried from downstairs. Buttercup snapped herself from her thoughts the green washcloth sliding off her forehead and into her hands. "Come down here!" Buttercup sighed, fixed her lame bandaging, and flew downstairs in a green streak.

Bubbles had been interested in rolling the pebble down one arm to the other and then back. When Blossom called, it dropped to the table. Bubbles flew out of the room quickly, blowing her papers in a hurricane around the girls' bedroom.

"What is it Blossom?" Bubbles inquired.

"Well, since the Professor's in the lab and most likely won't be out for dinner, I thought that the three of us could make dinner together for him!" Blossom exclaimed. Bubbles and Buttercup looked at each other in silence and then smiled and nodded back. Maybe some food could lull the beast from his hard work. 

It didn't take more than an hour for the girls to successfully ruin dinner. Bubbles stared down at the pile of blackish goo that was supposed to be pudding. Buttercup and Blossom were arguing…again.

"What's that?!" Blossom queried angrily pointing at what seemed to be a tiny prune in a pan.

"It _was_ the roast." Buttercup answered looking down at the charred piece of meat in the pan.

"How did you screw that up? It's a roast! You leave it in the oven…THAT'S IT!"

"Yeah, for THREE HOURS! I can't wait three whole hours! I'm hungry now!" Buttercup returned. "I thought eye lasers would help…" Blossom slapped her hand to her face.

"It's a wonder it didn't EXPLODE!" She muttered something to herself.

"Oh like you didn't screw up with the mashed potatoes!" Buttercup pointed to the white mass of cold food with huge hunks of potatoes still uncut and globs of butter in solid form sticking to the top. "What it _that_ supposed to be?!"

"Mashed potatoes!"

"Nice mashing job there, Blossom." Buttercup said sardonically looking at a hunk of potato fall to the kitchen floor. 

"Well at least I didn't make a Prune Roast!"

"Please stop fighting." Bubbles looked down sadly. "Oh…I didn't do so good on the puddin'." She held up the globby, bumpy pudding as proof.

"Bubbles," Buttercup began, "how do you ruin instant-made pudding?"

"Hmmm…I don't know." Bubbles answered rhetorically.

"You just add MILK!" Blossom added loudly. She sighed, dinner was ruined and the Professor didn't even come upstairs when the smoke detectors went off. The three would just have to forage for something else that night. And most likely Bubbles and Buttercup would suggest…

"Ice cream!" Bubbles cheered throwing the goo upward. The pudding stuck to the ceiling with a sickening spluck. Bubbles looked up to see the whole bowl of pudding sticking to the ceiling. "Hee hee." Blossom sighed again.

* * * *

The girls had settled on TV dinners instead. They all thought they were revolting, but ate them anyway. The Professor didn't even come up to tuck them in. They all felt sad and neglected. As Blossom slipped her pink nightgown on over her head, Bubbles rediscovered her little plaything.

"Hey look!" Bubbles squealed joyously. The two other girls looked up from their changing. They watched, with some amusement as Bubbles rolled a shiny, glowing orb down one arm and to the other in her attempt to cheer them up after a ruined supper. "Look at what I can do!" 

"Yeah, look what _I_ can do." Buttercup stated sarcastically rolling her big green eyes. 

"That's nice Bubbles." Blossom commented with a trying smile. "Say, where'd you get that." 

"I found it." Bubbles replied balancing it on the tip of her mitt. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "HEY!" 

"What?" Blossom inquired as Bubbles put the orb in front of her eyes.

"This is just like the pebble from the story book!" Bubbles exclaimed holding her treasure to the light.

"Wha? What pebble?" Buttercup asked completely forgetting about the earlier story. Bubbles cupped her hands over it and watched it glow.

"The one from the story that grants wishes. It's always shiny, even in darkness or something. It's shinin' right now." Bubbles was fascinated at her hand glowing like she'd put it up to the sun. Buttercup rolled her eyes again.

"Well, it might be fun to _pretend_ it's the same pebble." Blossom smiled sitting on the ground. "Go ahead Bubbles, make a wish." Bubbles clasped both hands around it and closed her eyes.

"I wish everybody loved me. Like I'd be a star or something. Yeah! That's nice. And there'd be lots of people who liked me and loved me and maybe even my drawings." Bubbles smiled at her wish, it was kind of selfish but she'd always wondered what it would be like to live like the people on TV. Besides it didn't count cause she'd thought it up in two seconds. She slowly brought the pebble to her lips and whispered softly so no one would hear her and feel upset. "I also wish I had a mommy." Bubbles brought it away from her mouth clutching the pebble tighter as if that would insure her wish to come true. She handed the glowing pebble to Blossom. "Here, now you make a wish!" 

"Me? Well, okay." Blossom took the pebble and admired it pleasantly. It had a warm glow to it and almost a hum. Like it was a soft lullaby. It was an odd pebble. "I wish…" Blossom thought for a moment. She had heard Bubbles's plea and had wanted that too. But, she didn't want to sound juvenile so she quickly thought of something else. "I wish I were surrounded by beautiful things and intelligent people! People who would understand culture and art and understand me on an intellectual level." She shot Buttercup and Bubbles a look. "Also someone who can do my hair some justice!" Blossom held her orange locks that were still recovering from a butchering by her sisters.

"We said we were sorry!" Bubbles yelled. Suddenly they heard a loud clanking sound. All three heads shot toward the door. Bubbles giggled, "Sounds like the puddin' fell." Blossom set the pebble away from her; she wanted to wish for a mother too, but didn't want to seem insecure. She knew everyone would hear her anyway. She held out the pebble toward Bubbles.

"That's it, I guess." Blossom held the orb toward Bubbles. Bubbles laughed and shook her head.

"Don't give it to me, give it to Buttercup." Bubbles pointed toward Buttercup. She was leaning against the wall watching her sisters wish on an inanimate rock. Buttercup gave a menacing glare. Blossom shrugged and held the pebble out to Buttercup.

"Make a wish Buttercup." Blossom stated. Buttercup looked at the shimmering rock. Its color seemed to have intensified in the past few minutes. It glittered in an odd maternal beauty in her sister's mitt. Buttercup sneered at it and exploded.

"What the heck for?! I ain't wishing on a dumb ol' pebble! This is the lamest thing since the stupid story book!" She yelled to the ceiling. Blossom clutched the pebble in her mitt angrily.

"You can at LEAST pretend Buttercup!" Blossom glared fed up with her headstrong and impatient sibling. 

"Aw forget it!" Buttercup floated out of the room in a huff.

"What crawled into her dress and died?" Bubbles asked. She sighed, silently scolding herself. She shouldn't have said that. "I'll talk to her." Bubbles offered and flew after her hotheaded sister. Blossom watched Bubbles leave calmly. She huffed about her other sister. _What a pain in the butt._ She suddenly noticed the pebble glowing luminously in her hand. She smiled and whispered to it, closing her eyes tightly.

"I wish I had a mother too." The wish was almost like a prayer. She clutched the pebble so tight her mitt turned almost pure white. She released it slowly hoping she hadn't crushed it. It was amazingly in tact. The sphere glowed brighter like a mini sun. She raised a non-existent eyebrow. What a strange rock. 

* * * *

They had calmed down the brash brunette and were now comfortably tucked into bed. The pebble burned brightly on the tiny coloring table in the girls' bedroom serving as an adequate night-light for Bubbles. They didn't even open the door for the hall light. The Professor still was in the lab. The girls felt worried but decided to give him one more day…just one more day. 

The moon hung high in Townsville sky. The darkness blanketing everything obscuring images and twisting shapes into illusions. The moonlight shined brightly on the three sleeping girls, tucked into a soft dream-filled slumber. Bubbles clutched her Octi tightly as Blossom mumbled softly in her sleep. Buttercup turned slightly and then again more harshly. She bolted up in bed whispering something into the dim light of the pale moon.

"Momma!" She whispered softly calling after that dream woman. This time in her dream, the mother never came. This time she cried and no one came, except a horrible mist that crept into her throat and wrapped around her body. It burned and scorched her and ripped at her limbs. The pain seemed so intense as it forced itself down her throat scalding her from the inside out and covering her in an oozing blackness. It suffocated her with a soft laugh like the wind in a dark world. Like death.

Buttercup wrapped her arms around her knees. That whole experience must have gotten to her. She could still feel the blood. She could still taste it. Buttercup knew that the Professor wouldn't come when she called, he may even be upset. Blossom and Bubbles would only think she was a baby. 

She climbed out of bed and floated to the bathroom. Buttercup flicked on the light and gulped down a drink of cool water. That was all she needed. A quick glass of water, a reminder that she was still tough, and it was back to dreamland, and that mist that awaited her return to torture her again. Buttercup began to choke as she drank down the water, a tear accidentally slipping from her eyes. She dropped the cup and wiped the tear away so fast, it was as if it never happened. Buttercup stared herself down in the mirror. Was she a Puff or a chicken? Or was she still a five-year-old girl? Buttercup decided on "Puff", and headed back to her room.

When she returned an irritating brightness glowed from the drawing table. Buttercup at first questioned it but then remembered it was Bubbles's stupid pebble. Buttercup glowered at it and began to climb into bed when she looked back at it again. She remembered Bubbles's soft wish for a mother. The wish Bubbles thought no one had heard. Buttercup walked over to the table and picked up the sphere. It shimmered and glittered playfully. _Dumb rock._ Buttercup growled _It can't make anybody's wishes come true_. But she fingered (well as best she could) it in her mitt. It was pretty. And it gleamed with a silent purring. Buttercup shrugged. 

She wondered at first what to wish for. Something that wasn't stupid and little like a new punching bag or something. It had to be something big. She could wish for money. Lots and lots of money. But…that had kind of gotten her in trouble. Maybe something else like a car! Wait…she couldn't drive, nor did she want to. Maybe…no. How about…no. Well then there's…wait, that's just stupid! Buttercup harrumphed softly as she realized there was nothing she really wanted…except… 

She clutched the pebble tightly in her hands and licked her lips.

"I wish I had a mother." Buttercup clutched it hard whispering softly, "I really REALLY wish I had a mother." But she left it at that. She didn't want to wake her sisters as she gripped it tightly. But when the pebble was able to breathe again she got annoyed. "Hey! You're supposed to be dust!" Buttercup struggled with the pebble to crush it. "You dare to challenge me? Die!"

"What are you doing Buttercup?" Bubbles asked sleepily. Buttercup quit trying to destroy her meager opponent and quickly placed it on the table. 

"Nothing." She zipped quickly back into bed. Buttercup tucked herself back into bed pulling the covers up to her chin. She wondered to herself if her wish really would come true. But she didn't think so. 

If only the girls had read further on in the fairy tale book, they may not have been so hasty with their wishes. As the old proverb goes: "Be careful what you wish for…"


	4. Chapter 3

Blossom opened her eyes slowly to a bright light and a happy and cheerful voice. It rang out a good morning and Blossom rubbed her eyes wondering what time it was. When her eyes focused, she found herself in the middle of a giant bed. The white satin sheets were tucked up to her chin and a white silk canopy laced the top of her bed. She looked foreword to see against the far wall (the VERY far wall) a huge hanging portrait of herself. The portrait was a myriad of beautiful brush strokes that probably took a pain-stakingly-long time to get every feature, ever shadow on her face correct. Blossom yawned.  
  
_Man, Bubbles's_ _getting good._ She thought to herself. Then she opened her eyes wider. _Bubbles? _ Who the heck was Bubbles? And why did she suddenly think that name. A French painter that flew in especially from Paris painted her portrait. Why would she think someone with the name of Bubbles did it? Her mind was a mix; half of her found the whole room incredibly strange and wrong. Another part of her felt that this is how it had always been for as long as she could remember.   
  
"Rise and shine, dearie." A sweet voice rang through the large room. Blossom saw an old, plump woman approach her with a smile on her face. The woman had gray hair and twinkling brown eyes. The woman had a slight Irish accent that could be heard quite clearly whenever she said "dearie."   
  
"Coming, Nana." Blossom yawned. How did she know this woman? She didn't remember any "Nana". But wait, Nana had always been there. Her mind felt very confused as she slipped out of the satin sheets and began to crawl out of bed. She had to crawl quite a long way considering the bed was so huge. Blossom was panting by the time she reached the end. Nana smiled warmly.  
  
"Come now, dearie." Nana picked up the tiny redhead who was still confused on what was going on. This woman was obvious a caretaker, her caretaker. And this was obviously a house, her house. Nothing in Blossom's mind was clicking. Part of her told her that this was her life while bits and pieces of old memories reverberated in her mind.   
  
Nana brought Blossom into the bathroom and stripped off her obviously expensive nightgown. It was a light pink that reached her ankles, made of pure silk. She hung it on a golden hanger. Blossom noticed the bathroom was huge. It was a clean white color with a bathtub possibly as big as her bed! The faucets were gold and shined brilliantly. Blossom took it all in as she found the bathtub filled with fresh milk and rose petals.  
  
"Um…" Blossom stared down at her reflection in the white creamy milk that filled the tub. She looked different somehow. Blossom knew that was her staring back, but she noticed something different. Her skin looked paler and felt a little softer, like she'd never been subjected to any hard labor and took baths in milk every day. She was still the same but…  
  
"In the tub, dearie. It's time for your morning bath you know." Nana placed the five-year-old into the tub. Blossom fell in with a splash, droplets of milk splattering onto the floor and onto Nana. Nana chuckled. "All right now, let's get you ready for school." Nana began to wash Blossom in the tub.  
  
At the word "school" Blossom felt both fear and happiness. She couldn't understand it, she _loved_ going to school. Why did her heart beat with such trepidation when she heard that word?  
  
"Um Nana…do I _have_ to go to school today?" Blossom pleaded, her teeth chattering with the cold milk surrounding her.  
  
"I'm afraid so, dearie. You know it took a lot for your mother to get you into that school. You'll get the best education, dear." Nana poured a bought of rose petal filled fresh milk onto Blossom's head, chilling the child further. "Let's hurry up then. We still have to get you dressed, wash your hair out, comb it, brush it, then we'll have to put on your makeup, and get you down to breakfast." Nana sighed. "The things you have to deal with at four in the morning." Blossom's eyes widened. Makeup? Four in the morning? Mother?! Something was defiantly a miss. So why was everything so right, and so wrong?   
  
  
  


* * * *

  
  
  
  
After all of Blossom's preparations, Nana carried the poor girl down the stairs. Nana could never understand why a five-year-old girl had to wear makeup and bathe in fresh milk and rose petals. When she was a girl she played in the mud all day and took baths only twice a week! Well, whatever Mrs. Lukan wished for her daughter. Nana was just happy to have a child in the house again.   
  
Blossom was dressed in a proper schoolgirl outfit. She wore a navy blue saliorish outfit for a quaint top. The collar had two white stripes running across it and the complimentary "Donald Duck" hat was placed delicately on her head. The shirt was double breasted with four gold buttons in the front with long sleeves. A small half of a golden heart locket hung in front of her shirt. Blossom, subconsciously tucked it into her shirt. The bottom of the "suit" was a white pleated skirt that moved back and forth as Nana walked. Blossom had never had an outfit quite like this. She looked down at the shirt to find there was a school's crest on it. A gold emblem of a crown with Latin phrases encircling the crown. She looked up to Nana. Nana's eyes sparkled brightly at her.   
  
The two approached a beautiful dinning room. A table that stretched as long as fifty feet lay in front of her with dishes upon dishes of gorgeous food spread across the rich table. There was so much food; Blossom's mouth began to water. There were pancakes of every kind, French toast piled up in a food pyramid, a beautifully displayed waffle feast with dishes off to the side to add strawberries, blueberries, heck even gooseberries! Blossom had never seen so much food before in her life. The entrees spread on for the entire table.   
  
"Here you go, dearie." Nana sat an awed Blossom down at the long table. The dishes sparkled in front of her, everything looking so delicious! Blossom shakily grabbed a muffin and took a nervous bite. The taste of the rich muffin exploded in her mouth. Blossom's eyes widened as possibly the best tasting food in existence played with her taste buds. This was better than candy! She took another taste, the flavor combusting again. Her mouth filled with the taste. Blossom felt in heaven.  
  
"This is so delicious!" Blossom couldn't help but exclaimed. She had to quiet herself though. Blossom almost couldn't believe she'd spoken with her mouth full! Mother would be furious. Blossom shook her head. There was that "mother" thing again. Blossom began to eat the exquisite muffin again, but slower and calmer like the little lady she'd been raised as.   
  
"Hello everyone!" A euphonious tone rose from somewhere on the other side of the fifty-foot long table. Blossom shuddered at that voice. Who was that? It was her mother, of course. What was wrong with her today? Blossom was a mix of emotion, she felt confused and happy but also resentment and regret. Blossom got a good look at the woman as she approached Blossom's side of the table.  
  
The woman was tall and very thin wearing a long emerald dress. It was obviously styled in Paris. The woman carried herself with dignity and grace as if trained to walk a certain way. She had blonde hair tucked up into a neat bun on the top of her head. Her eyes were a cold blue and a diamond ring the biggest Blossom had ever seen adorned the woman's ring finger.  
  
"Good morning, darling." Her mother crouched down next to her and gave her an intangible kiss to Blossom's cheek.  
  
"Good morning, Mother." Blossom stated plainly. Inside she was flabbergasted yet felt resentment for the blonde woman. She didn't understand it. Blossom looked back to see her mother looking at her with a frown on her face.   
  
"Blossom darling, you have muffin all over your face. Have I taught you anything at all?" Mrs. Lukan wiped the crumbs off of her daughter's face. "Damn it all! I've smudged your makeup." Victoria Lukan sighed, obviously upset with her child.  
  
"I'm sorry, mother." Blossom stated a little sadly. Her heart sank as her mother scoffed.   
  
"Whatever am I going to do with you? Hurry up and eat, but don't rush! Remember: tiny bites. A lady does NOT chomp her food." Mrs. Lukan turned sharply and approached her end of the table now speaking to her servants. "I am going to the country club this afternoon, James, and I absolutely need a new riding outfit for my riding date with Margret. I will NOT go riding on a flea-bitten mare with last year's outfit. Charles is spending his business meeting in Moscow and I will simply not allow him to get by without a few words about his merger. If he makes one more business deal I will die. Unless of course I get that diamond necklace I've been eyeing. I simply will not…" The woman continued on and on, James merely nodded in agreement as the woman paced feverishly.  
  
Was this woman really Blossom's mother? Blossom was so confused. She'd never had a mother, yet her mind told her that this woman was her mother. She watched the woman pace making controlled hand motions while garrulously ranting about herself. The world was familiar and yet unfamiliar. The table that lay before her she had sat at a million times. She remembered when she had gotten her portrait done. The very one that hung on her bedroom wall. Blossom remembered being held in Nana's arms after a terrifying lightning storm. All these were familiar thoughts to her. But, in Blossom's mind, there was something that said, "This isn't right." But, this had been her LIFE! She'd always been Blossom Laura Lukan and nothing else. Then why did her mind tell her that was false? Blossom cleared her throat loudly.  
  
"Mother," She began, "I am not feeling well this morning and I was hoping that I might perhaps stay home for the duration of this day." Blossom asked eloquently. Her mother turned quickly to her.  
  
"What _is_ wrong with you today? You get muffin on your face, you speak out of turn, and interrupt me!" Victoria placed a skinny hand to her forehead. "No Blossom. We have been over this a ludicrous amount of times. Getting you into Parvenu Crown Kindergarten was one of the most difficult things I have had to tire myself with. It is not often that they let disfigured girls into their esteemed school. Thank God we have money." Mrs. Lukan stated thoughtfully.  
  
The words stung Blossom harshly. She knew her mother just had a way of insulting her without even realizing it. _Disfigured?_ She questioned. Blossom looked down at her solid mitts, depressed. She wiggled her mitts back and forth and thought she might cry. No one should speak to her that way! Why she would just…would just…Blossom knew that she could do something to that horrible person. But her mind couldn't produce the real power she contained inside. As far as she knew, the most she could do was ignore the comments. _Mother is right_, Blossom thought in her mind; _I do not look like everyone else in the world. I am so unique…that I am weird_.   
  
"Now darling do you see why you must go? If you do not it will scar the Lukan name. No one, listen darling, NO ONE in the Lukan family has ever, are you listening? No one has EVER missed a day of school. I went with the flu and a broken ankle on the day of my Horseback Riding finals, and I passed with an A+. Now if I can do that, you can go to school today. Even if you were found on our doorstep, you are still a Lukan."  
  
That was another thing Blossom didn't like about her mother, she was always so pushy and always reminded Blossom that she wasn't a real Lukan. Hardly a day went by without Blossom being reminded that she was merely the ADOPTED daughter of Victoria Lukan. She stared down at her plate again more depressed then before.  
  
"I am terribly sorry, Mother. I will try to better myself at refraining from such idiotic questions. Thank you Mother for making me see the erroneous reasoning in my inquiries." Blossom muttered into her chest. Victoria rolled her ice blue eyes.  
  
"For Heaven's sake Blossom Laura Lukan! How many times must I tell you to sit up straight and NOT to speak into your chest? We Lukan's speak with pride and confidence because we are winners. You must never forget that." Mrs. Lukan nodded distinctly and began speaking to James again as if the conversation had never occurred.  
  
  
  


* * * *

  
  
  
  
Blossom Lukan was sitting in the white limousine that carried her every day to her snobbish kindergarten. She stared out of the tinted windows to a whirlwind of trees and green grass. She felt low and sad after her chat with her mother. There was just one more event that occurred before her departure for school.  
  
Victoria had her young daughter, Blossom, sit on a parlor stool while taking hold of Blossom's beautiful orange hair. That was one thing the Lukan's could not achieve. They're hair was always blonde and thin, while Blossom's hair was thick and a bright orange. Victoria let the soft strands slip through her fingers. This was one thing that Victoria did not leave to the professionals, styling her daughter's hair.   
  
Mrs. Lukan ran a brush through the shiny locks of red; the hair shimmered in the light that streamed through the window. Blossom sat on the stool with perfect posture as the brush stroked its way through. She waited as she felt her mother bring the hair tight around into a kind of ponytail. But her mother would _never_ settle for something as simple as a _ponytail_. Victoria began to intently style the hair into an advanced French braid and worked it into a bun. She braided and twisted and tucked the hair with such intensity it almost hurt Blossom. Finally, Mrs. Lukan placed a golden bun cage over the styled bun and paced what looked like a tiny golden scepter through the bunched hair. It kept the bun and cage in place.  
  
"There." Her mother said finally. She held a mirror to her daughter so she could she the hairstyle. It looked elegant and refined and kept a natural beauty to it. Her tresses gleamed in the light and she admired her reflection. Her new quaff was gorgeous.   
  
Blossom snapped herself from that thought and gently touched the bun a top her head. She felt the cool metal of the golden cage. Blossom smiled, that was her favorite part of the day, when her mother paid only attention to her and worked with her hair. Her mother always found a way to make it look elegant and beautiful. She grinned staring out the window proudly. She was a Lukan, and Lukan's always looked their best.   
  
She thought this until the limousine came to a stop in front of Parvenu Crown Kindergarten.   
  
"This is your stop Little Miss." Xaiver, the chauffeur smiled pleasantly at the one member of the Lukan family he didn't loathe. Blossom nodded and took a deep breath. Her heart pounded in her chest. What was she so worried about? It was just school.  
  
Xavier opened the white limo door and Blossom stepped out frightened. Her shaky foot touched the hard sidewalk. She walked carefully away from the limo so badly not wanting to go through the large black gates that stood in front of her.  
  
"Have a good day, Little Miss." Xavier nodded and tipped his cap. He climbed into the limousine, waved a cheerful goodbye and drove off. There left Blossom's only chance of escape. She took another deep breath trying to slow her swiftly beating heart. Blossom walked through the large, open, intricately designed gates. A large sign hung above that read "Parvenu Crown Kindergarten: Where the exceptional and privileged learn." This whole experience was still seemingly new to the pink-eyed girl. Everything still baffled her just a bit as she got used to these surroundings again. Blossom passed by the sign and saw a huge white-bricked building looming in the distance.  
  
The building was covered in vines that curled around the bricks carefully. At the top of the building was a tall clock tower that reached so high it scraped the clouds. It was nearing 8:00. A fountain stood in front with a gorgeous garden surrounding the edges of the fountain. Blossom walked toward it carrying her school briefcase. All Parvenu students carried briefcases. There were other children heading for the innumerable stairs that led into the kindergarten that seemed more like a college. There were two giant statues of lions at the beginning of the stairs and two more at the very top before the small foyer in front of the doors.   
  
As soon as Blossom passed the first set of marble lions, she got a horrible feeling. A sense of dread swept over her nearly pausing her in her tracks. Her legs trembled and her hands shook. Her throat went dry as she forced herself up the next step. _It is just school._ Blossom reminded herself, _I am not going into some horrible peril._ Blossom calmed herself as she reached the foyer. She spoke too soon.  
  
"If it isn't Little Lukan." Someone said stepping out from behind the stone lion statue at the top of the steps. Blossom nearly dropped down the stairs bringing her mitts and briefcase up to her face in a weak defensive pose. A young boy probably her age stepped out in front of her. He had a snobbish tone to his voice; his hair was a dark brown and styled professionally. He had a navy blue suit on, a real three-piece suit with a white tie. He smirked devilishly.   
  
"You mean it's the freak!" Another voice called. Blossom turned suddenly to see another boy emerge from behind the other statue. She heard laughter surround her. All the sudden, she remembered why she hated school. Everyday she was tortured by her classmates because she was so different. They all hated her for no real reason other than she was different and had no power to defend herself with (not that they or she even knew of). They picked on her and kicked dirt onto her uniform, telling her she would never make it anywhere, they even threw her homework into the mud. She would go home almost crying. But crying ruined makeup.  
  
"Please leave me alone." Blossom whispered, purposefully speaking into her chest again. She tried to move by, but a group of her classmates stepped in front of her.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, Blossom," The lead boy, Herbert, grinned, "we don't mean to step on your toes!" He said blatantly making fun of the absence of those specific digits. The group burst out into laughter. Blossom clutched onto her briefcase tightly.   
  
"There, there, Blossom, chin up!" The crowd roared with laughter. The kindergartners were surprisingly witty. Blossom just held her briefcase up as a shield against the comments. After a TERRIBLE fight with another girl when she was two, her mother had signed her up for anger management classes (yes…an anger management class for a two-year-old).   
  
"Why are you doing this to me?" Blossom asked, her voice wavering.  
  
"Don't be so NOSEy." A young girl blurted out. Once again the crowd guffawed. They laughed and began shouting hurtful comments, backing her up toward the marble stairs.  
  
"Yeah, you no good FREAK!"  
  
"Weirdo!"  
  
"Sideshow REJECT!"   
  
"Abomination!" The crowd of preschoolers exclaimed caught up in the moment. They crowded around her and began chanting.  
  
"Freak! Freak! Freak!" They repeated. Blossom's eyes welled up with tears. She tried to tell them to stop but her voice choked. The kids seemed pleased with her tears. They chanted louder. "Freak! Freak! Freak!" They chanted even louder. Blossom let the tears spill over her cheeks. Herbert pushed through the throng of kindergartners.  
  
"Take this you monstrosity!" Herbert shoved Blossom harshly. The pink-eyed girl stumbled back, her footing slipping. Her briefcase fell from her grip. She would've plummeted down the marble steps but for some reason, she merely floated for a moment in mid air. Blossom was surprised that instead of tumbling down the steps, she landed safely on the ground at the bottom of the stairs.   
  
At first the shouts stopped. They stared down at her; she was unharmed and looked up at them. How did…how did she do that? The unanswered question rang unspoken in the air. Suddenly, something flew through the air and hit her harshly in the head. Blossom winced and watched the harmful apple roll away from her. She turned her eyes to see Herbert angrily glaring down at her. He was furious she had not fallen.  
  
"Get outta here you FREAK!" Herbert screamed forgetting all grammar and chucking her own briefcase at her. Her valuable papers flew over the step as the briefcase hit her in the chest. The other children joined in flinging things wildly at her. Blossom began to cry and ran away, covering her teary pink eyes with her mitts. It didn't matter if they saw her cry now. It didn't matter if it ruined her makeup. She wished that she had never gone to school that day.  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 4

I tried this time, I REALLY tried to make something not so depressing. *Sigh*, well it's just a little sad. There's more minor cussing so just put up with it. 

Chapter 4

Bubbles awoke to a loud buzzing sound. She turned it off quickly and yawned. _If Buttercup gets the bathroom first again I'll scream._ She thought as she sleepily rubbed her eyes. _Buttercup?_ Who was "Buttercup"? And what kind of silly name was Buttercup. Bubbles looked around the room. Everything was different but somehow the same.

Stuffed animals enveloped the whole bedroom decorating everything. The walls were painted a bright blue and the carpet was a pure white. She had a dresser and a vanity and a large closet. There were photographs in wooden picture frames everywhere! Bubbles looked down at her bed to find it was only big enough for one girl. There was an adorable Puppet Pals bedspread with images of Puppet Pal Clem and Puppet Pal Mitch bonking one another all over it. She noted she had a particular stuffed animal under her arm.

_Octi?_ She questioned softly but shook her head. That was silly. She never had a stuffed animal named "Octi". This was her favoritist stuffed animal in the world. She lifted it up and examined it. It was a light pink monkey with a purple face, black shiny eyes, a purple tummy, and a big threaded grin on its insipid face. This was her little monkey she called, Jojo. 

Bubbles held Jojo close as she stepped out of bed. An overabundance of toys littered the ground in a random manner. Bubbles placed a mitt to her mouth observing all the mass of animals. She glanced upward and saw all of the photographs on the walls. There were pictures of her and a blond man and a dark-haired woman together. They were all smiling. Bubbles clutched Jojo at the sight of the blond man. Despite his warm looks, he scared her. She glanced at another picture that was a framed newspaper article. The title read: "Townsville's Tiny TV Tot." Bubbles looked to see a colored photograph of herself. She had a bright smile on her face and her hair was up in pigtails with beautiful ribbons surrounding them. She wore a white dress with tap shoes on. 

This picture puzzled Bubbles. She didn't remember being in the paper without someone else with her. But wait, that was just a few months ago. Bubbles held her head and shook it softly. Everything was too confusing. 

The dresser stood plainly in front of her. Bubbles cautiously opened the bottom drawer with squeaks of protest from the piles of toys on the floor. She found a pretty white sleeveless T-shirt and a dark blue pleated skirt. She slipped them on quickly along with a pair of underwear with a little cartoon cat on it. Bubbles also found a pair of white socks with little blue fringe at the top. She located a dark pair of tap shoes. For no other reason than that it felt right, she slipped on the shoes. She was ready for school. 

Bubbles managed to find her way through the surplus of playthings to open the door and get out of her room. The hallway was covered in photographs, much like her room. Pictures of the blond-haired man with different people. She walked down the hallway staring at all of the pictures. There were even some with her in it. A lot of the time she was wearing a pretty dress with lots of people watching and tap shoes on her feet. In one picture she was tap dancing. But…she didn't know how to tap dance…did she?

She found herself in front of a tall bathroom door. She placed Jojo outside, like as if saying for him to wait for her. Bubbles opened it and went inside. Perhaps if she washed up and splashed some cool water on her face, things would make sense again. The bathroom's tall sink was entirely out of the small girl's reach. A little frustrated, she dragged a tiny pink step stool toward the sink and stood atop it.

Looking in the mirror she found herself to look somehow different. Her hair was down to her shoulders and all a tangle from last night's slumber. Her eyes were still the same sparkling blue that shimmered in the light. But…but her arms had marks on them. Strange marks, that were red, but probably not permanent. But where did these marks come from?

Bubbles looked over herself again and carefully reached for some pretty, light cerulean scrunchies and a yellow brush. She began to brush calmly, her mind a jumble. Was this really supposed to be her home? But why did everything seem so unfamiliar? And this bathroom, she didn't recognize the cream tiled floor or the light green wallpaper. This was so new but…everything was still kind of right. There was her old baby blue towel hanging on the rack. It even had her name scripted in cursive on it. Bubbles. By the time she returned to her reflection, her hands were finishing the final touches on her pigtails. They hung at the top of her head with the adorable scrunchies holding them in place. Bubbles opened the bathroom door again, and picked up Jojo outside the bathroom door. 

She reached the top of a long flight of stairs and reached up to touch the oak banister, but it was too high. Bubbles took the steps carefully, one at a time until she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her body directed where she should go while her mind wandered. 

_Where am I? At home._ She answered herself, _but I thought home was…different._ But the familiarity of the place told her she was wrong. The smell of everything was so familiar, everything was like it should be, but something told her that it wasn't right at all. Suddenly she found herself at the kitchen. There was a brown-haired lady with her head resting on her arms. Her face was toward the table and the sleeves of her pink fuzzy robe covered her face.

"Morning Mommy." Bubbles smiled. _Mommy?!_ Bubbles couldn't believe she'd said that. A mommy? The woman looked up, her face slightly red. Her eyes looked tired and her hair spread tiny strands messily in front of her eyes. She sat up pushing the strands away from her eyes.

"Morning Sweetie." Nancy Fisher sighed out in her usual tired voice. But on camera, her voice was always brighter and chipper. It's just at home she seemed…more tired. "How'd you sleep, Honey?" She asked getting up from the table and stumbling toward the counter.

"Um…good I think." Bubbles responded climbing onto the chair she placed Jojo on the table. She watched as her mother began to pour her a bowl of cereal.

"That's nice, Honey." Nancy scrounged with shaky hands and found the box of cereal she'd hoped for. 

"I can't WAIT to go to school today! Ms. Green said there'd be a new student an'-" Bubbles began rambling. Now she was really confused. A mommy, no Octi, and who was Ms. Green? Wasn't her teacher someone else? _No, no._ Bubbles reminded herself _You are Bubbles Bunny Fisher an' you go the Golden Acres Kindergarten, an' your teacher's name is Ms. Green an' your Mommy is that lady an' Daddy's sleepin'._ She recalled.

"Honey please don't speak so loud." Nancy whined pouring the milk into the white bowl. "Your father's trying to sleep and you know how angry he gets honey." Mrs. Fisher yawned. Bubbles mouth instantly closed. The LAST thing she wanted to do was make Daddy angry. But...what was so scary about Daddy?

"Sorry, Mommy." She whispered softer. "Ms. Green said we'd have a new kid coming to our class an' that we might be getting to paint pictures at art's an' crafts time an' that if I'm really, really, really, really good, I can take home the pet bunny!" Bubbles squealed delightedly. Bubbles didn't know what she was saying. Pet bunny? Well, that was a nice idea. Besides, bunnies were cute and fluffy and nice. She was probably having an off day; she'd remember everything soon.

"That's great, Honey." Her mother's voice emphasized the "great" just a little bit more than the rest of the monotone sentence. She placed the bowl of cereal in front of Bubbles; it slopped in an unappetizing manner. Nancy sat back down at the other end of the small breakfast table and put her head in her arms again.

Bubbles ate at first in silence, admiring everything. Jojo was still smiling and staring off into space. He would provide no real answers. The house seemed perfectly quiet, the sunlight streaming in through the kitchen windows, illuminating the tiled floor. Today seemed especially beautiful.

"Mommy…my lunch." Bubbles reminded her mother. Nancy lifted her head and sighed.

"Oh, I keep forgetting that." Mrs. Fisher rose unsteadily from the table and went back to the clean counter. Bubbles hated to continuously remind her mother to make her lunch. Mostly because she had to bother her mother but also that a mother shouldn't have to be reminded to make food for her child. Her mother was just so spacey sometimes. Maybe it had something to do with all the medication she took…

"Mommy, you're peanut-buttering the counter again." Bubbles pointed out as Nancy spread a thick glob of peanut butter on the counter. She sighed. This person who was her mommy sure could use a wake up call.

"Oh Honey!" Nancy's voice suddenly became excited, a rather odd change of pace for her. "Your father is um going out of town for the weekend. I am just…so excited." Nancy smiled brightly, still keeping her voice low though. Bubbles's eyes widen in happiness and surprise. Her father was leaving town? 

"REALLY?!" Bubbles cried obviously thrilled. Nancy nodded her head, brown strands of hair falling in front of her face again.

"Yeah-huh. And you know, maybe…maybe he'll even stay for the whole week. See he's got this whole business meeting with these big shots or something. Yeah, he might even get his own chain of dealerships." Nancy finished the lunch putting it in a brown paper bag. Bubbles leapt up from her seat, raising her voice loudly.

"YIPPEE!" Bubbles heart beat with elation. A whole week with just her and Mommy. No Daddy around. Wait…what was so bad about Daddy anyway? It didn't matter. Her and her mother were going to have so much fun. She stood on the tiled floor and began to ramble…loudly. "Oh Mommy! You an' me are gonna have so much fun! We're gonna go see a movie an' stay up real late an' eat nothing but ice cream an' we're gonna be REALLY loud an' we'll go to the park and feed the duckies an' we'll-"

"Honey, please try to be quiet." Mrs. Fisher pleaded with her adopted daughter, hearing some movement upstairs. Bubbles didn't seem to hear her though as she rambled on.

"-an' jump up and down on our beds an' we'll close our eye really tight and spin around an' around an'…" Bubbles mimicked the motion, caught up in the moment. She shut her eyes tight and was about to spin around when something happened.

Her eyes felt funny and kind of warm. Suddenly she felt a power surge through her body and into her eyes. There was a loud laserish sound followed by a huge crashing noise. Another bought of crashing and clanking ensued. Bubbles began to get worried. She opened her eyes slowly and gasped.

A huge hole in the wall stood in front of her, still smoking. Bits of plaster shattered to the floor as Bubbles looked through the hole to the living room. _Did I…_Bubbles thought Did I do that? Suddenly heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. Daddy. 

"What in the world is going on down here?!" Jack Fisher yelled practically falling down the stairs, his dark robe followed behind him. He rushed into the kitchen as fast as he could, his quaint pair of green slippers shuffling clumsily over the carpeting. Jack stood in the doorway and gasped.

In the midst of his perfect kitchen stood his five-year-old child with her deformed hands up to cover her mouth. There was a large gaping hole in the wall with whips of smoke sizzling from the top. Jack's eyes widened in shock as a piece of white plaster crashed to the floor. He looked to see his wife, Nancy, lying on the ground breathing hard. Her hair looked tousled and she had one hand over her heart and the other clutching the edge of the counter. She'd obviously fallen and knocked over a bunch of pots onto the floor. One metallic bowl spun on its side and finally stopped when Jack spoke.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Jack yelled, his voice reaching dangerous octaves. Bubbles just held her hands up to her mouth. Nancy struggled and climbed to her feet shakily knocking over the remainder of pots and pans. Nancy grabbed her pink robe and stammered.

"I…I don't know Jack. I was just tryin' to make breakfast and I don't know. Suddenly these, these beams shot from her eyes and it hit the wall. And...and oh my God Jack, it, it was awful and the wall just broke and…" She clumsily spilled out practically hiding behind her husband. Bubbles looked hurt. Her own mother was blaming her and…and was afraid of her.

"YOU did this?!" Jack growled, clenching his fists. He'd known that sometimes Nancy would exaggerate or be too hyped up on her medication to think straight, but it was obvious that Nancy didn't do it. Maybe the part about the beams was off, but he had no doubt in his mind that his little "tornado" had done this. Bubbles winced. Her eyes were all ready filling with tears. 

"Daddy, Daddy I'm sorry. Daddy I didn't mean to…" She whispered backing away from the hole. Jack approached her, his handsome face twisted into a snarl. 

"Look at what you've done!" Mr. Fisher waved a hand toward the large hole. "Do you have ANY idea how much this is gonna cost?! And what will everyone think, huh? WHAT?! How am I supposed to explain THIS?!" He shouted, Bubbles winced again, wishing she could hold Jojo. "Am I going to have to explain the Jack Fisher's little BRAT did this?! IS THAT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY?!" He screamed. Bubbles began to cry. "Now you're gonna cry. Is that it? You think that's gonna solve ANYTHING?! You think that's gonna fix the hole in my wall?! DO YOU?! Well it's not, GOD DAMN IT BUBBLES!" Jack slapped her across the face harshly.

Tears flew from Bubbles's eyes as her father's hand hit her cheek. _No_ Bubbles thought _no this isn't right at all! _ Her cheek stung with the hit from his hand. She tried to choke back the tears. After all, Daddy just got angry sometimes, it wasn't really his fault. That's what Mommy kept saying anyway. Bubbles was now pressed up against the opposite wall, shaking visibly.

"P-please Daddy…please don't, I'm sorry. I'M SORRY!" Bubbles couldn't help start to weep again. Jack snarled lowly. Didn't she understand? It wasn't just the wall. It was what people were going to think. How was this going to look to his customers? Jack Fisher's sweet innocent daughter busts a huge hole in the kitchen wall. How? Jack had no idea. And what excuse could he make for that?! Now he'd have to get on the phone with his publicist before Friday and before he left for his meeting…THE MEETING! Oh DAMN it! What were those big shots going to think after hearing this? He let out a huge bellow that was more like a roar.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Jack continued in a string of cusses that would've made a drunken sailor blush. Bubbles covered her ears. Her cheeks still stinging. Nancy just shuddered by the doorway. Jack turned sharply to his little child. "DAMN IT!" His eyes were filled with a fiery hate. Nancy had known her husband's temper to flare up from time to time, but it was never this bad. That meeting meant the world to him and was certainly more important than his five-year-old child and his wife. Nancy couldn't even stop him when he raised his fist and smashed his blonde daughter across the face.

Bubbles hit the side of the counter hard, the feel of her father's knuckles against her cheek. She'd never been hit like THAT before. She brought her mitt unsteadily to her cheek. Bubbles looked at her huffing father, his blue eyes glaring at her, no shame found within them. Her tears only proved to further inflame her wound. 

"Jack…" Nancy gasped at her husband's action. Time stood still. The only noise was Jack's heavy breathing. Bubbles shook her head harshly, her mind confused, her face hurting. She burst into to tears and ran. Bubbles pushed passed her father, out of the kitchen, her tears blinding her. "Bubbles, Honey, WAIT!" Nancy cried, but it was too late. The tiny child flung open the front door and ran into the warm air. 

The sunlight felt comforting against her face, the sky the prettiest blue. Her perfect house with the white picket fence and light blue shudders was standing beautifully among the midst of green grass as Bubbles ran. But that's how things always looked to her. Beautiful on the outside but horrible on the inside. _I wish I'd never gotten out of bed today._


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  


  
  
Buttercup felt someone shaking her softly, whispering her name. Buttercup let out a growl _If that's Blossom, I'll kill her._ But, when Buttercup's green eyes opened, she saw the face of a young woman. The woman had big green eyes that sparkled brightly.  
  
"Wake up, Honey." The woman smiled, she got up and headed toward the window throwing the curtains open. The light engulfed the irascible child. "Rise and shine you sleepy head, you gonna get up or stay in bed?" The woman's cute rhyme made Buttercup wince. She sat up and stretched. Now why did she think of the name Blossom? She didn't know any Blossom. Right? "Come on Baby, we gotta get going." Buttercup moaned and threw the quilt over her head, flopping back down on the pillow.  
  
"Five more minutes, Mommy." She uttered into the pillow. _Mommy?!_ Time out a second, Mommy? Buttercup didn't have a mommy. But…hadn't it had always been just her and her mommy? Thinking this early in the morning just made Buttercup's head ache. Her mother, Red Robins, put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Now Sweetheart, we really don't have time for this today. You're starting school; you don't want to be late. I wanna see you at breakfast in ten minutes, Buttercup." Her tone of voice was more scolding and forceful than the playful greeting she'd started out with. Buttercup groaned again and waited till she heard the door shut behind the strange redheaded woman. She raised the covers off her head and sighed. But inside her mind was yelling.  
  
_This is seven kinds of weird! _ Her mind shouted _I don't have a mother! I don't recognize this place! And I've all ready started kindergarten what the--_ Quickly Buttercup calmed herself down. _Get a hold of yourself! Geez, it's always been like this. I must've just had some kind of weird dream; I must be still reacting to it. _ She yawned again and got out of bed. She headed towards a large vanity on the other side of the small room. Her lazy eyes looked upon the table of the vanity to see a picture.  
  
Buttercup climbed on top of the small stool in front of the large vanity and was soon eye-level with the picture. She reached forward and grasped the photograph. Inside the golden picture frame was a photograph of Red and her. Her mother was wearing a long red dress with a yellow bow in the back. She was smiling and holding…and holding...   
  
Buttercup was surprised to see the woman was holding a smaller version of herself. In the photograph she appeared to be only two years old wearing a dress similar to her mother's. Her hair was much curlier though, and she had a golden heart locket around her neck. Buttercup looked down to see that same locket around her neck. Perplexed, she looked began to examine it when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.   
  
_Now this is definitely different. _ Buttercup could see the obvious change; her hair seemed much longer than she remembered. Her long black tresses touched on where her shoulder blades would've been. It was still messy from her sleep. Wasn't her hair shorter though, and in some kind of style? _That must've been one crazy dream. _Buttercup thought shaking her head from side to side _My hair's always been this long. _  
  
She opened the door out of her bedroom and down the hall toward where she instinctively knew the kitchen was. Her house wasn't really a house though; it was a tiny apartment. Buttercup thought she remembered living in a house but shrugged it off as she entered the kitchen.  
  
Red Robins was making pancakes on the stove, she seemed to be heavily concentrating on it. Her red hair was tied up in a quaint bun with two thick strands of her bangs hanging out in front and two "chopsticks" stuck in the bun. She wore a business-type dress that was a rich blue. A golden heart locket shimmered in the artificial light around the woman's neck. Buttercup climbed up on the chair her long white nightgown scraping the seat as she sat down.  
  
"Good Morning Sweetheart." Red looked back at her child and smiled lovingly. "How'd you sleep?" Red asked carefully finishing up the pancakes.  
  
"Good." Buttercup mumbled resting her head on her hands. This whole place still confused her. It was just way too early in the morning to think about it though. Red placed a short-stack of pancakes in front of Buttercup. They steamed pleasantly in front of her. Buttercup felt a soft kiss on the top of her head.  
  
"Come on, Honey. I know you're tired but we have to get going, okay?" Her mother said gently as she rubbed her daughter's back. Buttercup lifted her head up and laid back in the chair giving her mother an evil eye for disturbing her. "Oh don't give me that look. Now, come on, eat your breakfast, we have a lot to do today!"   
  
Buttercup mumbled, annoyed, as she mercilessly stabbed a pancake and shoved a piece into her mouth. Her eyes went wide with delight. "Chocolate chip?!" She asked excitedly, her mouth full. Red nodded.  
  
"I knew you'd like those." Buttercup began to eat more hungrily, wolfing the pancakes down. Red poured some coffee from the pot into her pink mug and sipped it casually leaning against the counter next to Buttercup's little Puppet Pals lunch box. Red had finished the lunch and made sure to leave a special little note inside. She swallowed the coffee and said, "When you're done with breakfast I want to brush your hair and then we'll get that yellow dress for your first day and-"  
  
"Not-uh! No way!" Buttercup yelled spitting pancake from her mouth.  
  
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Her mother sighed; knowing another battle was beginning. Buttercup swallowed quickly.  
  
"I am NOT wearing that sissy yellow dress!"  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"It makes me look like a wimp!" Buttercup cried, shoveling another forkful into her mouth. Red set down the coffee mug.  
  
"Buttercup, you know how I feel about first impressions. The yellow dress is not sissy." Red knelt down next to her daughter. Buttercup crossed her arms stubbornly. "It makes you look like a nice and sweet little girl."  
  
"I see…it's to disguise my true nature, right?" Buttercup asked sarcastically. Red sighed and grinned.  
  
"You KNOW that's not what I meant." Red gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I just want you to make a good first impression. I'm just worried that the other children might've heard about what happened at your…other school." Her mother looked down sadly.  
  
At first the statement confused the five-year-old. Then, the memories came back. Buttercup used to go to a school that she had recently gotten expelled from. Buttercup had met with a lot of prejudice there. The children thought she was odd and funny looking. There was about one thousand times Buttercup would've beat them up for saying things like that. But one thing held her back. Her mother. Red had always made a point to "turn the other cheek". Which basically meant not to fight, cause Buttercup would be the one to get in trouble. But one day, that all changed.  
  
Buttercup had been minding her own business sitting at the arts and crafts table with empty chairs surrounding her. Buttercup ignored the fact no one would sit near her, although it did hurt a bit inside. Suddenly, a group of children approached her, carrying a very large vat of something. And soon after a large vat of red paint was promptly spilt over her. The paint dripped off her in a taunting manner as the classroom roared with laughter. Buttercup burned. Mother or not, this had crossed the line. In a "Carrie"-like manner she took her vengeance out upon the students. She found she had an amazing talent for combat. Unfortunately, none of the other children did. Thus (after many MANY a parent complaint) Buttercup was expelled. Her mother had understood why her daughter had reacted in such a way. But Buttercup still felt that her mother must've been ashamed of her for not listening to her in the first place.  
  
Red cleared her throat and stood up, shaking Buttercup from her memories. Her mother beamed lovingly. Buttercup's eyes cast down toward her food. Red suddenly felt bad for bringing back such horrible memories.   
  
"I'm sorry, Angel." Red sighed, "Let's not try to think about it. But, if anything does go wrong there, please tell me first okay? Me or the teacher. Just…just remember to turn the other cheek, Darling. God will be the one to punish them in the end." Red kissed her daughter gently on her cheek. "Now come on, let's get going." Red smiled brightly, hoping she cheered up her child some.   
  
"Mommy." Buttercup said softly looking down at her plate.  
  
"What is it, Honey?" Red asked concernedly. Buttercup looked up at her mother with a strange smirk on her face.  
  
"I am NOT wearing the yellow dress!" Buttercup nodded her head sharply as if to confirm it. Red laughed.   
  
  
  


* * * *

  
  
  
  
Wearing the yellow dress, Buttercup and her mother pulled up in front of a low-set red brick building. Buttercup crossed her arms stubbornly, annoyed. Her tiny Puppet Pals lunch box sat next to her. Buttercup's yellow dress was much like a dress she'd thought she'd worn before. It was a solid yellow except with a white stripe across the middle. She wore white tights and little black Mary Janes. The one thing Buttercup hated the most about the outfit was the large yellow bow on top of her head contrasting nicely with her long dark locks. It fanned out to either side of her head giving her a mouse-like appearance. She fidgeted uncomfortably. Red let out a deep sigh and looked over at her child in the passenger's seat.  
  
"Okay, Honey." Red began, "Today's your first day. Be polite and courteous, listen to the teacher, play nice with the other children-"  
  
"I know, Mommy." Buttercup rolled her eyes. "We went through this when I went to the other school. Except you were crying." Buttercup pointed out. Red was quiet for a moment, the other children laughing and filing into the school creating background noise.  
  
"I'm sorry Sweetheart," Red took in a deep breath, "I just get so sad seeing you go to school, I feel that you're leaving me forever. They grow up so fast, you know?" She looked back to see Buttercup giving her a puzzled look. Red laughed and shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, just be good and if all goes well…me and you will go to the park and have some ice cream." Red smiled. Buttercup's eyes lit up.  
  
"Really?" She asked excitedly. Red grinned and nodded. "Can we play some baseball too?"   
  
"Sure!" Red chuckled softly. Buttercup smiled happily and unbuckled her seatbelt. She opened the door. "Buttercup." Red began, Buttercup paused. "Have a good day, Angel." Buttercup smiled.  
  
"I know I will!" Buttercup was about to leave but quickly turned back and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Mommy!"   
  
"Goodbye, Baby." Red choked back some tears as her child shut the door and ran off the start school her little lunch box swinging wildly.   
  
  
  


* * * *

  
  
  
  
Buttercup found herself near lost amongst the scores of small students heading toward their classroom. The place seemed gigantic to the tiny girl. Suddenly the bell rang and the kindergartners ran to their classrooms leaving the young brunette in the middle of an empty, white tiled hallway. She took a deep breath and tried to remember which classroom was hers.   
  
"Room number…number…" Buttercup had an amazing knack for forgetting things sometimes. "Oh right! Room #36."   
  
She stood in front of room #36 fidgeting slightly. The name next to the door was typed in white print on a wooden marker. It said, "Ms. Rachel Green". Buttercup became nervous looking at it. She brought her mitt up, gripped onto her heat locket tightly, and rapped on the door.   
  
Suddenly the door opened and a woman, probably in her early thirties smiled down at her. The woman had brown hair that was tied back into a cute ponytail on top of her head. She had brown eyes that looked on amiably to the girl. Buttercup shifted her weight to her other foot.  
  
"Hello, you must be Buttercup Melissa Robins." She said to the child. Buttercup nodded. "I'm Ms. Green, don't be shy, come on in." The woman turned back into the room. Buttercup gulped and followed in, holding her lunch box protectively.  
  
The room was filled with chattery five and six-year-olds. The room was bright and happy, garnished with millions of crayoned drawings and sloppy Popsicle stick art. There were cartoon characters on the walls that helped tell time and weekdays and one even announced birthdays. The green-eyed girl took in the scene at once excitedly. Ms. Green smiled.   
  
"Now settle down class." Ms. Green began the students ignored her. "Class…settle down." The talking continued. "QUIET!" Ms. Green yelled. The room was as silent as death. Ms. Green chuckled pleasantly. "Now class, we have a new student joining us today, please welcome Buttercup Robins." Buttercup felt extremely apprehensive wondering if they'd except her.  
  
The class gave a semi-unison "Hello Buttercup" from their seats. Buttercup smiled a little and gave a wave to the class. Ms. Green grinned. Ms. Robins had been so afraid the children would react poorly to Buttercup's "unique features" when they'd spoken. But, the children had already met a child with similar "disabilities." Little Bubbles Fisher was always so bright and perky. A rainbow seemed to follow that child everywhere. She had made it IMPOSSIBLE for the other students to hate her. Bubbles had made fast friends with everybody and the children quickly got over her oddities. Because of her, it would make the experience that much easier for little Buttercup. _Speaking of Bubbles_ Ms. Green thought _where is that girl? _   
  
Ms. Green had been concerned with that girl for a long time. She kept coming in with strange marks and Ms. Green couldn't help but wonder. And every time Ms. Green asked about the marks, Bubbles would say that she "fell down the stairs." Every time. Mr. Fisher did seem like a wonderful man but…she shook her head from her thoughts as students bombarded Buttercup with questions.  
  
"I'm five." Buttercup answered a question easily.  
  
"Is that a Puppet Pals lunch box?" Someone asked.  
  
"Yeah-huh." Buttercup held it up proudly.  
  
"What's in your locket?"   
  
"This?" Buttercup picked up the locket and smiled. "It's a picture of me and my Mommy." Buttercup opened it and showed it to the class, although it was hard for them to see from their seats. Suddenly, a very rude question flew from the back of the room.  
  
"What kind of a dumb name is 'Buttercup'?" All eyes turned to see a blonde-haired girl with her arms crossed in the back.  
  
"Mitsy Lordanceson!" Ms. Green cried, hating to say such a long name. "That is NO way to treat a new student. Now you apologize right away!" Ms. Green put her hands on her hips. Mitsy frowned her long blonde hair swishing to the side as she turned her head away.  
  
"It was just a question." Mitsy shrugged. Ms. Green was about to give her an earful when her phone beeped. She quickly approached the phone, giving Mitsy an "I'm-angry-with-you" look before answering.   
  
"Hello? Yes…yes…oh my. That urgent? You sure, Ann? All right. Bye." The class turned eagerly toward her. She sighed. "Class, my sister's on the phone at the office. It seems she's had a terrible break up with her boyfriend, although I thought he was a jerk but…" Ms. Green noticed the vacant stare in the children's eyes. "Oh, you're children." She shook her head. "Anyway I'm leaving Jamie in charge of the class until I get back. This shouldn't take too long." She quickly got up and headed to the door. As soon as she shut the door, the room broke out into wild yells and prattle.  
  
Buttercup was surrounded by many nice children who offered to play with her and be her friends. The brunette was pleased with how many of them wanted her as a friend. She was never treated so…so _normally _before. It felt great. Then, Mitsy Lordanceson approached her.   
  
"Outta the way!" Mitsy shouted and the children fled in fear. Buttercup's smiled turned into a familiar scowl. "You never answered my question. What kind of a dumb name is 'Buttercup'?" Mitsy asked, purposefully trying to rile her up.  
  
"It's not a dumb name! Besides, Mitsy's a pretty dumb name in itself!" Buttercup crossed her arms. Mitsy seemed unfazed.  
  
"You know what, I already don't like you. You've got a dumb name, you've got a bad attitude, and you look like a total wimp!" Mitsy poked Buttercup in the chest with her index finger. Buttercup grumbled about wearing the yellow dress and big bow. "You're just too scared to fight." Mitsy began to push Buttercup; "You're just a little wimp! A sissy! And you know what, I don't like you. I heard about what you did at that other school. You beat up a bunch of kids just 'cause you couldn't take it. Well, we don't like bullies here at Golden Acres. We don't tolerate people like you." Mitsy pushed her into a shelf full of books. Buttercup bumped against it harshly knocking a few to the ground.  
  
"You're being a bully right now!" Buttercup pointed out the obvious hypocritical nature of Mitsy's behavior. The other children looked on with anticipation neither helping nor hurting.   
  
"I'm just taking out the garbage. You're nothing! You shouldn't even be allowed to come to a school with DECENT people." Mitsy hissed shoving Butterup against the book self again. More books clattered to the ground. Not even Jaime, the girl in charge, stopped it. They all wondered what Buttercup would do. Her temper was blazing but she held back. Her mother said, "turn the other cheek". God would punish Mitsy. Buttercup growled pushing Mitsy's hands off of her. "Aren't ya gonna fight back?" Misty asked giving Buttercup another push.  
  
"NO! Mommy says to turn the other cheek." Buttercup recited. Although part of her was practically going nuts. She wanted nothing more then to punch her out. She'd taken out a whole room of kindergartners before. But, that had only made her mother upset. It was taking all of her will power to resist hurting the brash blonde.   
  
"Your mother's a CRIMINAL!" Misty yelled. Buttercup's eyes widened. "You're mother's a no-good, lousy, rotten, cheap, evil, CROOK! And YOU are the KID of evil. That means you're bad too! I will NOT be in the same classroom with an evil brat like you! You're bad! Your Grandparents were bad and your mother's bad too!" The children "ooooo"ed with excitement. Buttercup was looking toward the ground. Her face hidden by her neatly cut bangs. Finally, she looked up.  
  
Her green eyes glowed with an almost surreal anger. Her rationality dissipated as she winded up her fist. She thrust her mitt forward with so much power; the air around it seemed to howl. Mitsy never knew what hit her. As if in a split second, Mitsy was standing in front of Buttercup, the next, Mitsy's bruised body lay lifeless against the far wall.   
  
The children had watched in horror as Buttercup's fist rammed into Mitsy's jaw, a savage battle cry escaping Buttercup's throat and a pained scream leaving Mitsy's. Bits of plaster fell from the indent Mitsy's body made in the wall. Buttercup breathed, the berserker rage leaving her emerald eyes. The class gasped in unison at the power the new girl had displayed.  
  
"Oooooo! You done a bad thing." A little boy turned to Buttercup and said. Buttercup looked at what she had done. While somewhere inside she felt like celebrating, she felt horrified. What would her new friends think? What would her mother say? _Oh no. I did EXACTLY what Mitsy wanted. I've let Mom down. Oh no… _  
  
"I…I…" Buttercup looked at the accusing stares from her new classmates. The anger and fear that had gripped their souls could be viewed in their eyes. Buttercup shook. She did it again. The class backed away from her in fear. It was happening all over again. Suddenly Buttercup pushed past the children and ran out the front door with no idea where she was going. As her Mary Janes pounded on the tile, Mitsy's scream echoing in her ears, Buttercup wished she'd never left her mother's side that morning.   
  
  



	7. Chapter 6

This chapter has an obscenly large amount of hugging in it. To...make up for the angst in previous chapters.   
  


  
  


Chapter 6

  
  


  
  
The trail of tears and the blur of emotions had led Blossom to a part of town she'd never been to before. She wiped the tears away with the back of her mitt and looked around cautiously. She was on a concrete sidewalk with small stores littering both sides. Blossom passed a 99 cents store and suddenly felt grossly out of place.   
  
Blossom knew she was a target for ANY kind of miscreant. A little defenseless girl in expensive clothes…lost! Blossom hurried her footsteps her heart still hurting more so from the earlier incident. Blossom pulled the locket out of her shirt and rubbed it softly. Although the golden locket was the cheapest and most inexpensive thing she owned it always seemed to bring Blossom some comfort. Soon she looked up to she elaborate gates with a black sign on top. She looked up and read the gold encrypted letters. "Senecal Garden Park". The sunlight beamed onto the gates of the park making it seem inviting. Blossom walked in carefully following a sandy path into the park.   
  
The day was warm and bright and the leaves on the trees glimmered in the morning sunlight. Blossom found the beautiful plants and flowers a bit of a comfort although her eyes still hurt from crying and her soul ached from the mental abuse. She soon found her way in front of a large, concrete fountain. It was expertly crafted with three angels pouring water from carafes into the large, rounded bottom on the fountain. The fountain was huge and shimmered beautifully in the morning's sun. Blossom sat down on the ledge of the fountain resting her head in her hands…her mitts. Her mitts were almost a reminder that she was, in fact, a freak. Blossom began to weep again.  
  
Meanwhile on the other side of Senecal Garden Park, a small, blonde-haired and blue-eyed girl ran through the gates of the Eastern Side Entrance. Many tears blurred her vision as she pushed past a young couple. The pain in Bubbles's cheek had long since faded, but the hit stung in her mind. She didn't mean to be a bad girl, she was a good girl. Why did Daddy have to get so mad?  
  
Bubbles slowed down, her little tap shoes becoming scuffed on the green blades of grass. She looked up, the sun blazing in the sky. No, it was her fault. She had made her Daddy angry. He was just…just trying to show her what she was doing wrong. She didn't mean to be bad. Bubbles rubbed her cheek, saddened by the realization. She needed someplace to sit down and think.   
  
She wandered slowly through the trees and plants. The flowers bloomed toward her but Bubbles was too sad to notice. The park had always been a place of comfort. When she and her Daddy and her Mommy went there on annual picnics or special occasions, Daddy was always so nice, and Mommy was always so cheery. And at one point everyone would tell Bubbles to get up on the stage and dance. And she would giggle and get up on the stage with everybody watching her and loving her. And she would dance. And everyone would clap and cheer. And Daddy would be so happy.   
  
Bubbles finally found herself in front of a large fountain. It glittered beautifully. Bubbles sniffed a little and smiled at it, she climbed up on the ledge and looked into the distorted image of herself in the water. She could already see a small mark forming on her cheek; a few teardrops fell into the water. Little did Bubbles know, but a girl was just across from her, crying as well. But the centerpiece of the fountain and the sound of the rushing water blocked her.   
  
Meanwhile, again, through the third entrance of Senecal Garden Park ran in another distressed girl. Buttercup Robins stopped her run abruptly and took in several deep breaths lost in her own thoughts. What would her mother think? Just before she'd gone to school that very morning her mother had told her not to fight. To turn the other cheek. Why didn't she ever listen?  
  
Buttercup sighed softly, walking further into the park. Her mother and herself were supposed to go to that park that afternoon. _ If _she'd been good. Buttercup didn't mean to let her mother down. And what would all the new kids think of her? They'd all HATE her. Just like the kids at her last school. Sometimes she felt she couldn't do anything right.  
  
Her thoughts and memories blocked her sight. She didn't notice how beautiful the day was or how fertile the green grass looked. Buttercup's eyes were cast down toward her little black Mary Janes. Where she was going didn't seem to be any of her concern. But as her speedy shoes hit from grassy roughage to a sandy path Buttercup began to look up. Unfortunately, it was too late.   
  
Buttercup's shoes hit the side of a rather large fountain and she couldn't keep her balance on her rounded Mary Janes. She tripped foreword, catapulting into the base of the fountain with a very loud and very large splash. The water rose up on either side as Buttercup cried out.  
  
"AHHHH!" The scream caught Blossom's attention._ Oh no! An innocent person in trouble! _ Blossom's mind raced, her sense of justice just activated, she leapt off the side of the fountain the tears fresh in her eyes and ran to see who needed her assistance.  
  
Bubbles Fisher heard the loud cry and leapt off of the ledge where she'd been pouting. _Oh no! Someone could be hurt! _ Bubbles hastened to find out who had let out the scream. The blonde-haired girl nearly collided with a little redhead. Bubbles grabbed onto the redhead's arms.  
  
"Are you okay?!" She cried, assuming the redhead had screamed.  
  
"Of course I am all right! Are you in need of some assistance?" Blossom asked with concern, assuming the blonde-haired girl had screamed.  
  
"No…no I'm good. Hmmm…well if I didn't scream and you didn't scream. Who screamed?" Bubbles questioned. Blossom looked up considering. Suddenly Bubbles felt a very cold shoot of water in the back of her head. "YIPE!" Blossom soon felt one too.  
  
"AHH!! What in the-" She and the blonde-haired girl turned around quickly to see an unusual sight.   
  
A very annoyed, very wet Buttercup huffed, waist-deep in water from inside the fountain. Her long black hair clung to her soaking wet dress as she folded her arms unhappily. Her big yellow bow hung limply in the back and her little cheeks were red mostly from anger.  
  
"My heroes." She said as flatly as she possibly could. "Now help me outta here!" She insisted. Bubbles giggled and smiled.  
  
"Sorry." She walked over to the brunette and motioned for Blossom to follow. "Come on, let's help."  
  
"I'm not so sure I want to after she spit water in my hair!" Blossom touched her wet locks. Bubbles smiled kindly, Buttercup rolled her eyes.  
  
"Come on." Bubbles dragged Blossom over and they each took one of Buttercup's mitts in an attempt to pull her out. Bubbles soon foiled that attempt. "HEY!" She cried releasing her grip on Buttercup's mitt, causing the yellow-clad girl to crash back into the fountain, and almost dragging Blossom with her. Blossom, fortunately released her grip also (heaven knows that uniform was too expensive to get wet). Buttercup angrily resurfaced.   
  
"What the heck was that for?!" She screeched, spitting out some water.  
  
"Look!" Bubbles thrust her hand foreword. "I don't have any fingers, and neither do you!" Bubbles wiggled her mitt as if to prove it. Buttercup raised her hand from under the water and wiggled it as well. Blossom looked at her own mitt.  
  
"Me either." Blossom commented, getting the girls' attention. The three stood (or in Buttercup's case, sat) in silence, their mitts in front of them. There was an odd moment of understanding between the girls. There was almost a connection that could be felt in the very air itself. Each one couldn't get it out of their heads that maybe…just maybe they'd seen these girls before.   
  
"I guess were all funny-looking." Bubbles giggled. The words she said sparked some memories in Blossom. Buttercup got frustrated and climbed out of the fountain herself.   
  
"What are you two doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Buttercup question raising to her soaked Mary Janes. Bubbles and Blossom looked down sadly.   
  
"Yes but…something happened at my school." Blossom said softly, the memories flooding over her.  
  
"What happened?" Bubbles asked. She climbed back onto the ledge of the pretty fountain and patted the concrete next to her, offering the seat to Blossom. Blossom sighed and sat down next to Bubbles. Buttercup stood in front and began to wring out her hair and bow.  
  
"Well…well first off I must not be so rude, despite _what_ class I am conversing with." Blossom cleared her throat. "How do you do, my name is Blossom Laura Lukan." Blossom held out her mitt for a shake. Buttercup looked up. _Blossom? _ Wasn't that the name Buttercup had thought of this morning?   
  
Bubbles laughed and cleared her throat. She shook Blossom's hand vigorously, "Hello, how do you do, my name is Bubbles Bunny Fisher." Bubbles shook harder. _Bubbles?_ That was the name Blossom had thought of that very morning. Blossom removed her mitt from Bubbles's death grip.   
  
"Hey!" Buttercup piped up, "Aren't you that kid from the commercials?" Buttercup pointed. Bubbles nodded.   
  
"Yeah-huh!" Bubbles stood up and began, without even realizing it, to tap dance on the ledge for her two new friends. Her little feet rapidly pounded on the ledge creating an intriguing rhythm. The most amazing part of this was that although Bubbles had neither toe nor heel in which to commence tapping, she still created a beat that would make even Shirley Temple envious. She ended with an adorable curtsy. Buttercup and Blossom applauded as she finished. How Bubbles loved that sound.  
  
"Not too bad." Buttercup smiled a bit.  
  
"Yes, you do have talent there." Blossom agreed.   
  
"Yeah…oh," Buttercup decided to introduce herself. "My name's Buttercup. Nice to meet you." Buttercup smiled brightly. Bubbles pondered. That was the name that she'd scream at if it'd gotten to the bathroom before her. Was someone trying to tell her something? Bubbles decided to question this later, her new friend needed help. Bubbles sat next to Blossom when Blossom spoke.  
  
"It is nice to meet you as well." She stated. Bubbles nodded in agreement although almost positive they'd all met before.  
  
"Blossom," Bubbles began, "I think you were going to tell us what happened at your school." Blossom sighed.  
  
"All right, I suppose. The children at my school are rude and...and incorrigible! I tried very hard my first day to create lucrative and beneficial acquaintances. But, my classmates were immediately despondent. They were appalled by my obvious abnormalities." Blossom sighed. Bubbles and Buttercup blinked without the slightest clue.  
  
"Did you swallow a dictionary kid?" Buttercup questioned.  
  
"First of, of course not! Second off, you mean a thesaurus!" Blossom angrily scowled. _Philistines._ "Alright, I will reiterate in laymen's terms. Ahem. My schoolmates were mean to me the first day. They did not want to be my friend because I look…different." Blossom looked over at Bubbles. Bubbles nodded, now understanding. Blossom continued, "Well, they are usually mean but today they were exceedingly mean. They started to make fun of me and Herbert tried to push me down the steps but I…" Blossom trailed off. She didn't exactly know what had happened there. Blossom decided that it was best not to inform them about the whole stairs incident. "Anyway…they all began to…to throw things at me and they ran me out of school." Blossom looked down sadly. Bubbles put an arm around her.  
  
"There there, Blossom." Bubbles comforted.  
  
"Heck," Buttercup said still dripping, "I know how you feel."  
  
"You do?" Blossom questioned. Buttercup nodded.  
  
"Sure, the kids at my old school made fun of me too. Everyone thought I was strange and weird looking. They thought I was dumb too. They were all just jerks!" Buttercup growled to herself, but quickly calmed down. "But you can't let 'em get to you. God will punish them for you." Buttercup nodded. She tried to adjust her sopping wet bow. "Besides, if they're really that mean, you should just go to another school. That's what I did." Blossom looked off.  
  
"You do not understand. My mother…well I am strange and it is not often that a girl as odd as myself would get into such a prestigious school. She says I am not allowed to go anyplace other than Parvenu. Besides it is the only place worthy of a Lukan." Blossom stated. Bubbles gave Blossom a hug.  
  
"But it's still not right that you're treated so badly. You should tell a teacher or the principle. They'll help." Bubbles insisted (how ironic).   
  
"They think I am odd as well. They never stop the other children and I cannot do anything about it." Blossom began to cry again. Bubbles gave her a tighter hug. Buttercup looked on, worried. She noticed some peach-colored liquid dripping off of Blossom's face.  
  
"What's that?" Buttercup asked. Blossom looked back at her.  
  
"What is what?" She questioned, sniffling. Buttercup pointed to Blossom's face.  
  
"What's that stuff on your face? Makeup?" She asked. Blossom nodded. Buttercup gave her a "what-in-the-heck" kind of look. "Here." Buttercup dripped her mitt into the water and brought her mitt towards Blossom's face. Blossom dodged with a look of annoyance on her face. "Hey come on! It looks like your face is melting. Let me clean that off." Buttercup began to wipe off the pancake makeup carefully with her mitts. Blossom allowed her to do so, but was wary. Soon all of the makeup was washed off. Bubbles smiled.  
  
"You know what, Blossom? I think you look prettier without the makeup." Bubbles's comment made Blossom grin.   
  
"Thank you…ah…um…"   
  
"Bubbles." Bubbles stated trying to make sure Blossom would remember this time. "My name is Bubbles." Blossom nodded.   
  
"Well what's your story, sister?" Buttercup questioned Bubbles while kneeling on the ledge and washing her hands off in the clear, cool water. Bubbles's throat tightened. Bubbles was never supposed to tell ANYBODY her "story". Daddy said that if she told, bad men would come and take Daddy and Mommy away. Bad men would take them and maybe even hurt them. Then they'd make Bubbles stay with other bad people. Bad people who would be even meaner. She didn't know how to respond to the brunette, but luckily, Blossom saved her.  
  
"What is that around your neck?" Blossom inquired pointing at the golden heart locket that shimmered in the sunlight. It reflected beautifully, every curve of its design. It was one of Buttercup's treasures. Buttercup instantly beamed.  
  
"This is my golden heart locket. It was a present from my mother a long time ago. I was just a kid but it meant a lot to me." She held it up to the light. "It's broken a bit though. There was this stupid little brat that broke it when I was a kid." Buttercup cupped it in her hands.   
  
There was one thing that Blossom had failed to see in the locket before. There was a shinning gem in the center; it sparkled in the sunlight and glowed eerily. Blossom quickly pulled out her own locket. There was a gem in the center of her locket also. Her gem was identical to Buttercup's, it seemed to glow and hum softly. How could she have over-looked that? Buttercup did a double take at Blossom's locket.  
  
"HEY!" She leapt to her feet. Buttercup snatched the locket from around Blossom's neck and gave it such a yank Blossom almost choked. Buttercup carefully took out her own and compared the two. "YOU THIEF! You're the little brat that destroyed my locket when I was a kid! I don't believe it!" Buttercup flipped open Blossom's locket to see her very own picture staring back at her. She couldn't believe her eyes. It really was her locket that was destroyed three years ago. Her new one was repaired, but this…this was the ORIGINAL half. Blossom regained herself and pulled the locket back toward her.  
  
"Ack! Ahem, that must mean you are the obnoxious little philistine that stole my tiara. Twice!" Blossom accused.  
  
"Come on you guys, let's not fight…" Bubbles tried to calm them but Buttercup ignored her.  
  
"Well at least_ I _gave it back!" Buttercup countered. She grabbed a hold of Blossom's locket with her mitt. "This RIGHTFULLY belongs to _me_." Buttercup gave a hard tug. Blossom Lukan had many things to call her own. She had more trinkets and possessions and everything a girl could want. She could've had a new locket shipped in from anywhere in the world. It could be made of pure gold studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and every fine gem on the planet. But that locket, gripped in Buttercup's mitt, seemed to be worth so much more then that any diamond-studded locket could EVER be worth.  
  
"NO!" She screeched. "Don't! This is MY locket!" Blossom clutched it using contractions for the second time in her life. Buttercup didn't expect Blossom to be so desperate, or loud, and let go of the locket. Blossom took her chance and pushed Buttercup back into the fountain. Bubbles gasped.  
  
"Oh no! Buttercup!" Bubbles yelled. "You guys shouldn't be fighting! We're suppose 'ta be friends." Bubbles became saddened. Blossom stroked her locket lovingly and put it back down the neck of her shirt. She couldn't believe she had acted so inappropriately. It's just…when she was separated from the locket; a sense of her comfort was gone. Buttercup resurfaced for the third time spitting out the water.   
  
"This is just getting redundant!" She growled at Blossom, ready to pounce. Blossom clutched her locket from behind her shirt and spoke.  
  
"I am terribly sorry for my reaction, Butterfly."  
  
"Buttercup! My name is ButterCUP."  
  
"Right, sorry again. It's just, that day when we first met; I saw how sad you were when I had broken your locket. It meant everything to you. This little, cheap, inexpensive thing was your finest treasure. When I broke that…it was as if I broke you. I felt horribly about it. I had never meant to hurt you in such a way. When I tried to discuss it with my mother, she merely responded how right I had been and how our lawyers would make sure you were impecunious forever. Luckily, I convinced mother not to sue you. Still…this locket is a constant reminder to me of how little treasures can be everything. It lets me be a little more cautious when speaking. It has become kind of a companion to me, my only companion. Besides Nana. Please do not relieve me of it." Blossom cuddled it close. Buttercup looked off, biting her lower lip.  
  
"Sure you can keep it, Blossom." She responded smiling. Blossom's eyes lit up. "I know how much it means to me, if it means that much to you too…" Buttercup trailed off. Blossom could've almost hug her, but she was wet and icky. Bubbles beamed and gave Buttercup a large hug.  
  
"Oh you're so nice Buttercup!" Bubbles didn't care if she got wet or not. Buttercup hugged her back. Blossom shrugged and carefully, very cautiously, joined the embrace. The hug seemed warm and comforting as well as strangely familiar and wet. The three began to chatter excitedly about how they'd met that first time and about experiences. Bubbles had safely avoided the topic of why she'd run away. The three were sitting on the ledge of the fountain when they heard the church bells ring ten times.  
  
"Ten o'clock." Bubbles stated the obvious. The three girls looked toward the large ivory-white tower of the church, it's old bells ringing their dull tones. They looked back sadly.  
  
"I should go back to school." Buttercup commented quietly, although she had explained why she had left. Blossom sighed.  
  
"I can not return! The children there…they will…they will." She didn't want to complete the thought. Bubbles put her arms around Blossom.  
  
"Then don't return!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Come with me to MY school. They were really nice to me, even though this one kid was mean." Blossom looked up.  
  
"Well…what educational facility do you attend?" She questioned.  
  
"Golden Acres."   
  
"GOLDEN ACRES?" Bubbles mouth dropped open in surprise. "ME TOO! I go to Golden Acres I'm in Ms. Green's class, room #36." Bubbles squealed. Buttercup's heart beat faster in delight.  
  
"_I'm_ in Ms. Green's class too!" The two girls hugged. Blossom smiled at the two. They already seemed like best friends. Blossom let out a deep breath.  
  
"I wish I could join you two, but my mother would never allow it. A Lukan must never miss a day of school at Parvenu. We would never get into Harvard that way!" She stated sadly.  
  
"Um…Blossom…" Bubbles began.  
  
"Yes?" She sniffled.  
  
"You're already missing school right now." Bubbles pointed out. Blossom looked around wildly as if the realization had just hit her…which it had.  
  
"You are right! I must-"  
  
"Come to school with me and Bubbles!" Buttercup finished her sentence off. "Come on, wouldn't you much rather go to school with me and Bubbles than with those snooty jerks?" She inquired. Blossom nodded her head slowly.  
  
"Well, you're all ready missing school anyway." Bubbles commented, "You might as well enjoy it at our school." Blossom smiled. These weren't people just trying to take advantage of her for her money or for her position of slight power. They wanted to be her FRIENDS. Wouldn't Nana be happy…real friends! Blossom let tear of happiness roll off of her cheeks, with no more makeup to ruin, there didn't seem to be a problem.  
  
"Okay." Blossom agreed. The two girls cheered. "Mother and Father will be so upset though." She made a vain attempt to sway their decision. Not that she really wanted to.  
  
"Yes…" Bubbles's voice lowered, "I know what it's like for Daddies to get angry." She became a little quiet. Blossom wondered exactly why but Buttercup interrupted.  
  
"I wouldn't really know. I never had a Daddy." She commented.   
  
"Did he die? Or did he leave? Or what?" Bubbles quickly changed the subject over to Buttercup.   
  
"I don't know…Mommy never spoke about Daddy. I don't even know what he looks like." Buttercup paused to ponder. Why didn't she know what happened to her daddy? Where was he now? She would have to question her mother about this later. Blossom cleared her throat.   
  
"We should be heading off to Golden Acres." Blossom got up, straightening herself out. Buttercup nodded, she was a little drier now but still felt damp and uncomfortable. Bubbles hopped off and bounced lively down the path.  
  
"I know where our school is! I pass by here on the bus ALL the time! I can take both you guys there. Follow MMEEEEEEE!" Bubbles excitedly skipped foreword. Buttercup shrugged and ran after. Blossom grinned. _Real friends this time. Real ones._ She put her hand over her locket happily. The gem in the locket seemed to grow brighter as Blossom ran after her two new friends.  
  
  



	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Oh…dear God. I believe I shall faint." Mrs. Victoria Lukan put the back of her skinny hand to her forehead. She had been chatting casually at brunch with her good friend Margret (before their riding date) when she was called down to the Country Club's main office. It had been amazingly embarrassing for Victoria to be called down in the middle of her story about her trip to Italy. Then she had walked in to find out that her only daughter had NEVER entered the classroom that day. Mrs. Lukan's legs grew slightly wobbly as she clutched onto the French phone. "She…never attended…class?" She reiterated.

"Yes, Mrs. Lukan. It seems so." The principal stated again. Victoria sat on the leather couch practically sliding off of it.

"Wh…why?" She asked. Why did her child do this to her? HOW? They had specifically gone over why Blossom HAD to go to school. Why hadn't God blessed her with an obedient child? But, no, she had to pick up the most deformed child some plebian left on her doorstep. 

"I have no idea, Mrs. Lukan. Please excuse me." The principal hung up leaving the phone dead. Victoria shakily put down the phone with a cling. She took a few minutes to take in what the principal had said. The large empty room eating up her thoughts. Finally, Mrs. Lukan whipped out her little black cell phone like a cop taking out a gun. She pressed a speed-dial button for home. A low and dull voice answered the phone.

"Lukan Estates." James stated calmly, stretching out the "Lu" in "Lukan".

"Put Nana on the phone, James. Now!" Mrs. Lukan kept her panicked voice down as best as she could. It seemed so difficult for her to grasp the thought of her daughter running off. ESPECIALLY after being instructed NOT to do so. 

"Yes, Madam." James's voice replied. She heard him call for her faithful friend. "Anna. Anna Nana. Madam is on the phone." A few minutes of scuffling could be heard and then a dulcet tone with a slight Irish accent spoke into the receiver. 

"What seems to be the matter, my dear?" Anna Nana's voice rang through the phone line.

"SHE IS GONE NANA!" Victoria cried, louder than a lady should. "I mean…Nana, is Blossom with you. I so desperately need a word with that young lady." Mrs. Lukan cleared her throat. She could hear some uncomfortable shifting on the other side.

"My dear, I don't mean to worry you…but she isn't with me." Nana replied as calmly as she could. Mrs. Lukan's throat tightened. Her knuckles turning white as she clutched the cell phone. "You see, my dear, Xaiver dropped her off at school hours ago." Victoria put a hand to her mouth.

"Dear God, Nana. She has left her school and gone off somewhere. DEAR GOD, she is playing…dare I say it, hookey. What have I done, Nana? What have I done to deserve this? Now I fear she shall never attend the correct college. The Lukan's are doomed! We shall be the LAUGHING stock of the community! Oh God, I feel I shall have to hide my face." Mrs. Lukan paused a moment imagining the horror that she might befall. 

"Now calm down, my dear!" Nana insisted, patting the phone lightly as if it would help comfort her mistress. "I'm sure little Blossom hasn't gone far. She probably has a very good reason for leaving. The poor thing out there, all alone. Probably scared and lost." Nana clutched the phone in worry. "Don't you worry, my dear. I'm…I'm certain we'll find her."

"Get the police! Get the FBI! Get Scotland Yard!" Victoria cried into the phone waving her hand frantically.

"My dear, please! Remain calm. Besides, Scotland Yard in England." 

"It does not matter, have them shipped over for Goodness sake." Mrs. Lukan calmed herself down. The very thought of her tiny girl running around a large city in that irreplaceable uniform…the uniform! "Oh God! That uniform, Nana! Do you realize how hard it is to get the specific requirements in a uniform for a girl with no shoulders? Do you realize?!" 

"It's all right my dear. I'll have James, Xaiver, and I begin a simple search. We'll call the police and have them look out for her." Nana reasoned. Victoria grew very serious.

"If they cannot find her, I will give $500,000 to the person who does…as long as she's safe." Mrs. Lukan knew that amount of money was a lot to the common person. It wasn't really that much to her but…that little girl was her only heir. 

"Madam are you sure you want to-"

"That's my final decision, Nana. Call me if you locate her." Victoria Lukan hung up the phone, returning to her cold, reptilian-like disposition. That little girl was going to get QUITE a talking to.

* * * *

"DAMN IT!" Jack Fisher slammed down the phone back onto its cradle. "Thanks for nothing Mother-"

"Jaaaaaackkkkkk." Nancy whined from her position on the sofa. She was lying stomach-down, her head resting on the armrest, locks of brown hair dripping down it. Jack had just completed one of the thousands of calls he'd made that morning. That one was to the school to see if his darling child had arrived there. Unfortunately, she hadn't. "It's not their fault, you know. You're the one that used your fist on the poor thing." Nancy pointed out as she rolled onto her back. Jack Fisher was fuming. He waved his hand about grumbling, a little rise in his voice every now and then. Mostly during the cussing. Nancy just put a throw pillow over her face.

"Where could she have GONE, damn it?" He asked himself more so than his good-for-nothing wife.

"Jack she could be anywhere. You know how Bubbles gets distracted." Mrs. Fisher's voice was muffled from underneath the white-tasseled pillow. Jack raised his hand but instead of striking her, waved her off.

"Maybe she's at one of her friend's houses." Mr. Fisher picked up the phone.

"You already called her friend's homes three times. She's not there." Nancy stated. Jack rammed the phone back down, breaking out into a fit of cussing. He ended it grasping the back of his head with his hands, as if it physically hurt. "Besides Jack, you hit the kid with your fist. I mean she hit the counter really HARD, Jack. She could really be hurt somewhere." 

"Don't you think I know that? Huh?! Haven't I been trying for YEARS not to hit her like that? You know I never hit her in the face before! God damn it!" Jack cursed himself some more and paced nervously behind the sofa Nancy was lying on. He was still dressed in his navy blue bathrobe as his slippers scuffed against the carpet.

"Well you know, you shouldn't a' hit her like that. The poor kid" Nancy stated simply. Jack's blood began to boil. He gained a wild look in his blue eyes. He grabbed Nancy off of the couch with such power, Nancy's head snapped back. "OW!" Jack pulled her by the elbow as hard as he could, back into the kitchen. He put his hand on the back of his wife's head and forced her down, eye-level with the hole in the wall. It had long since stopped smoldering and stood there in bleak silence. Jack forced Nancy's face to practically fit inside the hole.

"Look at that, Nancy!" Mr. Fisher and pulled her hair a bit till Nancy yelped. He forced her head back down to it. "Do you see that, Nancy?" Jack coerced her face to almost be cut up by the sides of the jutty hole. "DO YOU?!" 

"YES, YES JACK!" Nancy yelled. Mr. Fisher threw her back down to the tiled floor. Nancy touched her face and the back of her head as she lay there in fear. Jack stood there fuming further. "I see it." She murmured softly clutching her robe.

"Damn it. What am I going to tell the company? The neighbors? What am I gonna tell those damn big shots." Jack rushed a hand through his short blond locks. They fell in front of his eyes daringly. "If they catch wind of this, that could be it. Oh God…what am I going to say about this? How am I going to explain that my five-year-old daughter blasted a hole in the wall and left?" Mr. Fisher pondered, now pacing in the kitchen. 

"Well…" Nancy began quietly, "no one said they had to know." Jack's blazing eyes shot toward her.

"Of course they'll know, Nancy! I have enemies out there! Competitors who will do ANYTHING to get a head of my business. And…and who KNOWS where Bubbles is! For God's sake she could be on the South Side dead in some gutter somewhere." Jack sat down suddenly and put his head in his hands. Mrs. Fisher crawled over to him, shaking, and patted his leg gently. 

"It…it's okay Jack. You go to work…I'll go look for her. You know she probably went to the park or something. You know she really loves the park." Nancy reassured.

"The…the park. Yes, that's a good idea. You look for her there. I'm already late for work anyway." Jack got up and headed toward the stairs. He put one green, fuzzy slipper on the front step and looked back to Mrs. Fisher. "You better find her, Nancy." He said in a steely cold voice. He began to go upstairs further, leaving Nancy's blood running cold. She heard him pause and then remind her: "And remember to smile when you go out, Nancy." With that, Jack Fisher headed up the stairs to prepare for work.

* * * *

"You make me feeeeeeeel….you make me feeeeeel…you make me feel like a nat-ur-al woman!" Red Robins sang from her desk at her work, her feet comfortably resting on the desk. Her high-heeled shoes rested on the floor. The desk was cluttered with paper work and frames filled with pictures of one particular little girl as well as that girl's grandparents. The computer screen was running a scrolling marquee. But all the paper work seemed to go unnoticed by the blue-clad woman as her Walkman played a soothing song into her ears. She closed her eyes singing along with the song, her troubles melting away as Celine Dion belted out the lyrics to one of Red's favorite songs.

"Ms. Robins." Derek Martin, Red's esteemed boss, crossed his arms as his employee continued to groove to the music only she could hear. Although, the office was blessed with Red's voice as she cued them in by singing the lyrics. "Ms. Robins." Derek continued a little annoyed.

"You make ME feel!" Red continued, unaware of his presence.

"MS. ROBINS!" Derek yelled. Ms. Robin's eyes popped open and she quickly took her feet off of her desk, followed by her headphones, all the while nearly crashing backwards in the chair. 

"M...Mr. Martin! I'm so sorry Mr. Martin! I'm so sorry I-"

"Let me guess, Buttercup went to kindergarten again?" Mr. Martin asked. By now, Derek had gotten used to a specific routine this specific employee went through. She had a five-year-old daughter, and every time her daughter hit a milestone, the whole office knew about it. Red had a special way of dealing with her "little baby growing up"; she would drown her sorrows in music and be sure to sing at the top of her lungs. The whole office would hear her versions of famous songs and had now learned to ignore it. Although, the customers did find it odd. Red blushed slightly.

"Yes, Mr. Martin. I'm sorry for the disruption, it just always gets me a bit upset knowing that my little baby is-"

"-growing up. Yes, Ms. Robins I know." Derek finished. Red smiled weakly. "You know, Ms. Robins, you remind me very much so of another red-head that worked in a particular bank. Although she had her own TV show and her bosses name was Mr. Mooney." Mr. Martin finished staring down at Red through his spectacles. Ms. Robins coughed politely.

"Is there…something you wanted to talk to me about…Mr. Martin?" Red queried.

"Actually, yes there is. It appears you have a phone call from Golden Acres Elementary. I have a feeling this may have to do with you're Buttercup." Derek softened a bit watching the woman's face react in shock in fear.

"Oh please, not again." She whispered and adjusted herself in her comfortable chair. "Th-thank you Mr. Mooney, I'll take it here." Red put a hand to her mouth softly. Mr. Martin nodded and decided not to remind her that his name was "Martin", not "Mooney". He walked away softly.

Red picked up the receiver cautiously and pressed the red flashing button marked "two". 

"H…Hello." Red put on her most professional-sounding voice. The voice on the other end was a sweet delicate tone. The woman's very voice seemed to have a smile within it. 

"Hello, Ms. Robins? This is Rachel Green from Golden Acres Elementary." 

"Yes, I remember, we spoke on the phone." Red's throat was tight and dry as Ms. Green continued.

"Yes, that's right. Anyway I have some bad news concerning your daughter, Buttercup." Ms. Green's voice turned serious. "It seems your daughter has struck another student and has run off." Ms. Green had a problem with subtlety. Red's heart raced and she quickly grew worried.

"Well, how's the other student? How's my child? Where's my daughter now?" She questioned. There was a pause.

"I'm afraid she ran off and-" Ms. Green was interrupted by the sound of a door opening in the background. "-and here she is now. Hold on a moment." Ms. Green was feeling a bit relived, that her student had returned. 

At the moment Ms. Green was on the phone, she heard the sound of her large wooden door open and a soggy but healthy Buttercup enter the classroom. Her yellow dress was still damp but she wasn't dripping on the light-colored carpet. Oddly enough, Buttercup had brought along two other little girls. One, Ms. Green recognized very well, and the other was someone whom she had yet to meet.

One of the little girls was a redhead with oddly colored eyes. She hung in the doorway, seeming most shy. There was another little girl trying desperately to convince the redhead to enter the class. The other little girl was Bubbles Fisher the bright and happy ray of sunshine in the classroom. Although, it seemed that the "ray of sunshine" had a dark mark on the side of her cheek. The strange thing about the girls was they all looked alike. None of them had any noses or ears or fingers or shoulders even. Rachel Green wondered if Buttercup had brought along her redheaded sister or cousin. Either way, Ms. Green had to deal with a few things first.

"Buttercup." Ms. Green sounded extremely angered with the young girl. Buttercup put on a sweet little smile, one that she had learned to control and use at will. She spoke softly and looked up with her big green eyes, digging her little Mary Jane into the carpet. 

"Yes, Ms. Green?" The child's very tone dripped with a sugary innocence that quite contrasted with the other students' depiction of an enraged little girl bashing in Mitsy Lordanceson's face. But, Ms. Green had danced this waltz before, and remained stern.

"I don't know about your old school, young lady, but at Golden Acres we do not tolerate our students to beat-up any other student and flee the scene of the crime." Ms. Green narrowed her eyes. She quickly realized that she had used a term the child probably didn't know yet ("scene of the crime") and was about to correct, but the little girl quite understood.

"I'm sorry Ms. Green. I didn't mean to hurt her that much. She was just being so mean." Buttercup kept up her innocent act, her huge green eyes looking up sadly, "All I wanted to do was make friends. But she just kept on pushin'…an' pushin' me. Oh Ms. Green, I never meant to hurt her! And when I saw what I did…oh please forgive me!" Buttercup buried her face in her mitts and let out a few fake sobs. Ms. Green's heart melted, she never meant to make the child cry. 

"Oh…oh there there, Buttercup. Mitsy wasn't too badly hurt. Oh…oh don't cry." Ms. Green patted the girl on the back softly when she heard the voice on the phone speak up again.

"Ms. Green," Ms. Robins spoke, an annoyed tone in her voice, "put Buttercup on the phone." Buttercup's saddened expression turned to one of surprise and fear. Ms. Green handed Buttercup the phone. Buttercup shakily took the receiver and put on a wry smile, though her mother couldn't see it.

"Oh…h-hey Mommy. I didn't know you were on the phone…heh heh." Buttercup looked nervous.

"Buttercup Melissa Robins you've done it this time!" Red was furious. Here she was, scared out of her mind and worried half to death about her precious child, and then she walks in the door and begins to use that old "I'm-a-sweet-innocent-little-girl" act on the teacher! That child was going to get an earful, and the whole classroom and even Red's whole office would hear it. "How dare you run off of school grounds like that! You scared me half to death! And what did we discuss just this morning? I said to tell a teacher Buttercup. UGH! I wonder if you even listen at all!" Ms. Robins finished her rant after get up and waving her arm around to express to the phone how upset she was. Red sat down suddenly, her co-workers staring a bit. She let out a deep sigh, one of her thick bangs blowing upward. "Are you all right, Honey?" She finally asked after calming down.

"I'm okay, Mommy, I never meant to let you down." Buttercup's voice was almost a whisper. Red began to feel horrible. She just knew her daughter could play her like a fiddle. She sighed again softly, leaning back in her comfy chair.

"No…no Sweetheart. You didn't let me down. I just…I get so frightened that one day you're going to bite off more than you can chew and you're going to get hurt. You know how I feel about violence and I've tried so hard to get you to realize that you don't get involved with people like that. Then they'll think you're just a bully. At least you're okay." Red could practically feel the depression in her child's voice.

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I'll try not to do it again. It's just…she started makin' fun of you and our family…I couldn't let her do that." Buttercup looked to see Ms. Green standing over her shoulder, waiting for the phone. "Sorry Mommy, I gotta go. Ms. Green wants her phone back."

"We'll talk about this more at home, okay Muffin?" Red said softly.

"Okay Mommy. Bye. I love you." 

"I love you too." Ms. Robins smiled a bit and heard some soft "awwwws" from behind her. She glared at a few of her fellow employees who liked to eavesdrop.

While Ms. Green and Ms. Robins said their "goodbyes", Bubbles struggled with getting Blossom to come in the classroom.

"I PROMISE you Blossom, they won't make fun of you." Bubbles was getting very exhausted with trying to convince Blossom. She was just so stubborn! Blossom felt her knees a little weak and her legs a little shaky. 

"But…but I am different and so very rich. They will be mean AND jealous. I just know it." Blossom remained in the doorway, not budging from the wooden frame as if preparing for an earthquake. Bubbles just about gave up when Ms. Green confronted them.

"Hello little girl. My name's Ms. Green. Are you new?" She asked sweetly.

"Oh Ms Green!" Bubbles began, "This is Blossom an' she's from another school an' she's vistin' us today cause the kids at her school were soooo mean and rude and…and in-courage-able. So she hasta come here today." Bubbles completed. Ms. Green seemed skeptical. 

"Well, isn't this kind of sudden? I mean, I can't just accept a little girl into my class for a day without the permission of the office and her parents and all." Ms. Green saw that familiar happy grin on Bubbles's bruised face transform into a frown. 

"Oh please Ms. Green! PLEASE!" Bubbles practically begged.

"Yeah Ms. Green." Buttercup interjected, "She's got nowhere else to go. The kids at school ran her out and her parents…" Buttercup couldn't finish that. She wasn't sure on the circumstances so she bantered on from a different angle, "…and she wants to try out our school. If she likes it enough, she'll come here. Please Ms. Green…PLEASE?!"

Ms. Green looked at the tiny redhead by the door; she seemed so sad and shy. Ms. Green couldn't make Gene, the teacher she left in charge after she found Jaime to be an inadequate monitor, waiting forever. She gave in.

"All right." She replied. The three leapt with joy. Such tiny children and so much a like. They bounced happily. It was going to be a looooong day.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  


  
Lunch time! Bubbles's second favorite class activity (arts and crafts time being the first). After the whole incident in the beginning got cleared up, Blossom was able to remain with the two girls and had been enjoying the day. Bubbles introduced her to all of her friends, which was everybody. Blossom met Harriet and Lacey and Garret and Tim and all of Bubbles's favorite friends. At first Blossom was very coy. She was so worried. But, everybody treated her very nicely. They even wanted to play with her. Bubbles thought she saw Blossom begin to cry. But when Bubbles asked her why, Blossom said it was because she was so happy. Bubbles had let Blossom get to know Harriet and Garret and everybody a little more while she stuck with Buttercup.  
The two had nearly become inseparable. The two had become fast friends sharing stories and incidents as they played together with the building blocks in the Games corner…well…after Buttercup got out of the corner for leaving school and for hurting another student. Although it was her first day, Buttercup found the corner very familiar. There was a twinge of remembrance in her mind that had raised questions from that morning. But Buttercup had tried to block those questions out, they were just very silly. After she'd been released, she joined Bubbles.   
The other students had already forgiven Buttercup for that morning's incident. They knew Mitsy was just mean; she was the class bully anyway and had no right to treat Buttercup so mean. Besides, they said that it was really cool how she had punched Mitsy all the way across the room and into the wall. Buttercup stared down at her mitts wondering, when Blossom sat next to her, a beaming grin on her face.  
"This place is absolutely marvelous! I did not realize how entertaining philistines could be. And so accepting! I admit these facilities are a bit dilapidated and less-than what I had hoped for. But, the residents here make up for the buildings faults" Blossom stated eloquently.   
"What?" Bubbles asked.  
"She means she had a good time." Buttercup replied rolling her eyes a bit.   
"Oh." Bubbles smiled. "I knew you'd like my friends! They're all so nice, and they love you!" Bubbles began to take out her lunch when she realized she'd forgotten it at home when she had run out. She looked as though she may cry.  
"What is the matter, Bubbles?" Queried Blossom.   
"I forgot my lunch." Bubbles sadly looked down at the long worktable in front of her with no lunch on it.  
"Fear not!" Blossom smiled confidently, "I will merely buy you a lunch. Where exactly is the lunch counter in this building?"   
"Um…there is no 'lunch counter' here, Blossom." Bubbles pointed out. "There's a milk cart that comes around. But…that's it. You can only buy milk." Blossom found herself at a loss.  
"You mean…money will not fix this situation?"   
"Uh…I don't think so." Bubbles frowned sadly. Blossom seemed to go into a mild state of shock at this comment. Money could not buy her lunch? Nor lunch for her very first friend? This was not happening…this was not happening! Blossom began to breathe rapidly.  
"Aw, keep yer shirts on." Buttercup commented dragging out her "Puppet Pals" lunch box. "My Mommy always packs a good lunch for me. There should be plenty for the three of us." Buttercup opened the silver latch and the red-rimmed lunch box opened to reveal a neatly packaged lunch. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich was quaintly encased in Curran wrap along side it was a small bag of chocolate chip cookies, an apple, and some potato chips (also in a neat little bag). "I'll cut the sandwich so there's three parts and we can share the other stuff."  
"Or we could divide up the other stuff and give one of us the bag of cookies, one of us the apple, and one of us the chips." Bubbles suggested. Buttercup nodded. Blossom was about to take dibs on the apple considering she really did not trust the cookies or the potato chips (who knows where Buttercup's mom got those…they could've been PACKAGED foods!) when she noticed a little piece of paper.  
"What's that?" Blossom picked up the little piece of paper. It appeared to be a note written in neat print. Blossom read it out loud. "Dear Buttercup, I hope you're having a good day at school. stop. I gave you your favorite kind of cookie because you love them so much. stop. I can't wait to hear about your first day, Honey. stop. I love you with all my heart. stop. Love, Mommy. XOXOXOXOXO." Blossom put down the note and felt exceedingly jealous. Here she was, possibly the richest girl in all of Townsville, and she was envious of some little plebian. Of course that plebian was her friend but how could this be possible? She had acres and acres of land, fifteen ponies to call her own, enough dollies to fill three warehouses, a house that dwarfed the White House, and a private jet. Why on earth would she be jealous of a simple little note. A tiny piece of white paper with blue ink. That's all it was. Why was she jealous of that? Maybe it wasn't the piece of paper that she was jealous of. Maybe it was the message on that paper. Blossom found one more thing she couldn't buy that day. One more thing that money couldn't solve. And it was the one thing she wanted more than anything else in that whole world.  
"What's with the 'stop's? Did my mommy actually write out 'stop'?" Buttercup questioned. Blossom shook out of her thoughts.  
"Of course not. That is merely the proper way to recite a letter." Blossom looked away sadly. Why didn't she have any notes in her lunch box?  
Bubbles too felt the sting of this jealousy. If she had remembered her lunch it wouldn't have been prepared with so much love or careful packaging. When was the last time _her_ mother left her a note? When was the last time her mother asked about how her day had gone? When was the first time? Bubbles wished so much that she had a note in her lunch. But, her mother would've never remembered to put a note in. It didn't matter that Bubbles had so much love from all the people of Townsville. They loved her as that cute little girl from the commercials. She always got comments on how cute she was and what a sweet little girl she was. But…she wanted that kind of love to be with her at home. It didn't matter if the whole world didn't like her, as long as her mother and father loved her like that, she would've been the happiest girl in all of Townsville. Ms. Green made Bubbles stop her train of thought.  
"Bubbles, honey." Ms. Green spoke softly.  
"Yes, Ms. Green?" Bubbles asked dutifully.  
"Could I see you after school?" Ms. Green asked, directly staring at the mark on Bubbles's cheek.  
"Am I in trouble?" Bubbles inquired innocently, a hint of fear in her voice.  
"No…I just need to speak with you. That's all." Ms. Green put on a comforting smile. Bubbles nodded her head softly and Ms. Green patted her lightly on the head and went to stop Adam from feeding the class bunny a chocolate laxative.  
"What was that about?" Buttercup queried, handing out the three pieces of poorly cut sandwich. Bubbles shrugged.  
"I don't know." She responded and handed another piece of the poorly divided sandwich to Blossom, who took it with a hint of distaste on her features. Buttercup wasn't very good at cutting a sandwich, especially without a knife. The three girls ate silently and Bubbles admired the girls' hands as well as her own.   
She noticed the fact that the three of them were so alike. All that was different was the hair and eye color really. Bubbles smiled happily. She had thought she was the only girl in the world like that! And now she found two other girls just like her…that were her same age…that lived in her town. Bubbles considered for a minute.  
"Hey you guys…" Bubbles began.  
"What?" Buttercup asked while eating her sandwich.  
"Isn't it weird that we're all alike and stuff although we've never met each other? And we all have the same things wrong with us and stuff?" Bubbles asked. Blossom and Buttercup stopped eating and considered this, too, for a moment.  
"Do you suppose that we are all actually in relation to one another?" Blossom inquired.  
"I dunno…" Buttercup started, "maybe we're cousins or something."  
"Or sisters!" Bubbles blurted out. The group paused at the long wooden table. The other children noisily completing the background as the girls thought. Sisters. It did have a very familiar tone to it. It seemed so accurate. They looked at the two other girls and thought…_my sisters?_ And in some weird sense-filled manner it seemed to make sense. It seemed so right. Blossom wasn't sure if it was possible.  
"I'm really ambivalent on this, Bubbles." She expressed, finally getting her friend's name right. "Although we do look an AWFUL lot alike and I was adopted, I still think-" Blossom couldn't finish the thought, Bubbles spoke up, extremely excited.   
"REALLY?! Me too! My daddy says I was found on his doorstep. He says he likes to 'play that angle' a lot." Bubbles was grasping onto a sleeve of Blossom's jacket.  
"Yes…hardly a day goes by where mother does not remind me that I am but an adopted child. Found on the doorstep…" Blossom looked out the wide window sadly. The sun was flooding in through, shinning over the other students. Bubbles didn't notice, she was much too enthralled in the similarities.  
"Oh my goodness!" Bubbles giggled that adorable TV giggle that practically bought her a place in the spotlight, "I can't believe that you were found on a doorstep too! Maybe…maybe we really ARE sister. Maybe our REAL mommy couldn't take care of us and left us on people's doorsteps she thought would be good." Bubbles couldn't believe it. Her new friend could be her sister?! She was giddy.   
"Do you really think so, Bubbles?" Blossom wondered. She would've wanted nothing more than this sweet, hyperactive, child to be her sister. A friend that constantly lives with her…she smiled at that thought. A friend and a sister. It was a nice thought anyway. "Maybe you're our sister too, Buttercup."  
Buttercup swallowed the last bite of her sandwich. She had been mostly listening in on this part of the conversation. Buttercup had long since come to a conclusion before they asked her the question.  
"I don't think so. My mommy HAD me." Buttercup answered simply. She would've loved to have sisters, but she wasn't adopted like that, and her mother never said anything about two other kids.   
Red had never actually explained to Buttercup that she was, in fact, adopted. Found on a doorstep. Red had a bit of a procrastination complex when it came to that subject. She figured she'd tell her daughter when she was older and able to handle it better, leaving Buttercup with the impression that she had been naturally conceived and delivered by and from Red.  
Blossom and Bubbles's hearts sank. But only for a moment.  
"Hey! Maybe your mommy had three kids an' couldn't afford me an' Blossom an' gave us off to our parents an' stuff!" Bubbles suggested.  
"Well, her clothes are cheap enough to assume that." Blossom stated looking at Buttercup's attire.  
"Hey! Well, Mommy never said nothing about me havin' any sisters." Buttercup stated.  
"Your mommy also never mentioned anything about your daddy either." Bubbles pointed out. Buttercup was struck dumb at this. That was true. And her daddy must have existed although she never met him before and Mommy never mentioned him.   
"Good observation, Bubbles." Blossom commended.  
"Gee," Buttercup spoke, "I guess your right." Buttercup frowned. "I can't believe Mommy never told me I had sisters! I better speak to her when I get home!"  
"Speaking of home, I do not know if I can return. Mother will be ever so angry." Blossom sighed.  
"I know…I don't wanna go home either." Bubbles practically whispered.  
"Then don't!" Buttercup exclaimed chomping into her cookies, still angry that her mother had never mentioned her "sisters". "You two come over my house this afternoon instead! Then we can figure out how to talk to your mom, Blossom." Buttercup winked at them. They smiled back graciously. "All we gotta do is wait for school to end." Buttercup stated. The other two nodded and continued their lunch on another topic. But they weren't the only ones waiting for the last second to tick by. Ms. Green waited patiently at her desk, she would be able to speak to Bubbles soon.   



	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  


  
The school bell rang releasing the students from their kindergarten classes. There was an unanimous cheer as the little five and six-year-olds rushed out the classroom like a stampede. Ms. Green smiled brightly at the students fleeing as though chased by rabid dogs. Lastly were the three children who had entered her class late that day.   
  
The trio had grown to be fast friends. They were now finishing cleaning up their work area where they had spent most of arts and crafts time talking rather than painting. She had to force them back to work more than once. Ms. Green couldn't get over that mark on Bubbles's cheek though. She promised herself today would be the day she confronted the child about it.  
  
"Hurry up, Bubbles!" Buttercup called heading toward the door in a yellow dress now splotched in rainbow blotches of paint. It almost seemed as though she'd purposefully tried to ruin the dress.  
  
"I'm coming!" She replied and began to head towards her two new friends waiting by the door.  
  
"Bubbles," Ms. Green's voice made the child pause. "We have to have a talk." Bubbles whimpered hoping Ms. Green had forgotten. She looked forlorn toward her new friends.  
  
"It is all right Bubbles," Blossom smiled warmly, "Buttercup and I will be outside and wait for the bus. I am positive you will be along shortly. Come on Buttercup." Blossom gave a reassuring grin back to Bubbles. Blossom didn't want to upset the teacher on her first day.  
  
"Yeah, don't worry about it! If the bus tries to leave without ya, I'll lie down in front of it!" Buttercup nodded and smiled. Bubbles returned with a beaming grin of her own.  
  
"Okay! Thanks you guys!" Bubbles waved a good-bye as the other two left, leaving the teacher and student with some privacy. "What did you want to talk tome about, Ms. Green?"   
  
"Bubbles, Sweetheart, have a seat." Ms. Green patted a tiny chair next to her. Bubbles scrambled on it and looked up at her beloved teacher. Ms. Green cleared her throat and began. "Bubbles, Honey, I've been noticing lately that you've been coming in with a lot of marks on you." Ms. Green noted looking at the bruise on Bubble's cheek about the size of a fist.  
  
"I...uh…keep falling down the stairs." Bubbles responded quickly.  
  
"Each and every time, Bubbles?" Ms. Green asked with concern.  
  
"They're some pretty tricky stairs." Bubbles chuckled lightly looking away. There was an odd silence as Bubbles looked around the room at the bright colors and childish drawings. The clock ticked loudly as the class's bunny scurried around in its cage.  
  
"Bubbles…is someone hurting you…at home?" Ms. Green had a very big problem with subtly, as demonstrated.   
  
"NO!" Bubbles practically shrieked. She calmed down and shifted uncomfortably, "Uh…no Ms. Green, that's silly. It's the stairs. Those darn stairs…" Bubbles looked at the carpeted floor. Ms. Green sighed.  
  
"Those stairs are pretty mean, huh?" Ms. Green asked. Bubbles nodded. "Don't you wish you could stop falling down them?"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm so clumsy and they're so big." Bubbles commented.  
  
"Well…why do you think you keep falling down those stairs?" Ms. Green asked. Bubbles looked away a second pulling at one of her pigtails.  
  
"I'm not careful a lot. Sometimes I cause accidents and then I fall down the stairs. It's not the stair's fault though! They're just stairs. He doesn't mean it and it teaches me to be more careful and more balanced and not cause more accidents." Bubbles answered truthfully without revealing the identity of the stairs. Ms. Green paused. The child was miraculous in the way she played perfectly into the whole hidden meaning. Except one part.   
  
"Bubbles…you said 'he'." Ms. Green pointed out. Bubbles looked kind of frightened.   
  
"What…no, no I didn't!" The blonde tried to defend, squirming in her seat.  
  
"Honey…you're not really being hurt by the stairs…are you?" Ms. Green asked seriously. Bubbles's eyes welled up with tears; she touched the bruise on her cheek and whispered softly.  
  
"Maybe…" Bubbles grew silent again.  
  
"Bubbles, if someone is hurting you I can help. I can make sure that they won't hurt you again. What this person is doing is wrong." Ms. Green put a comforting hand on Bubbles's arm. The blue-eyed child shook her head violently.  
  
"I…you CAN'T! Oh Ms. Green! If you tell, they'll take Mommy and Daddy away and I'll never EVER see 'em again. And they'll hurt 'em!" Bubbles wailed, beginning to cry.  
  
"Huh? Who will take your parents?"   
  
"The…bad men." Bubbles whispered so low. She spoke as if the "bad men" would rush in from every part of the city, burst through the grade-school window and say "we've got you now." Ms. Green scoffed.  
  
"Who told you that?"  
  
"Daddy." Bubbles whispered again, staring at her mitts. Ms. Green knelt down to Bubbles, looking into the child's eyes.  
  
"Bubbles, no 'bad men' will come and take your parents and hurt them. There will be a few NICE people who will help your daddy understand that what he is doing is wrong so he won't hurt you again. No one will hurt your parents." Ms. Green looked sincerely into Bubbles's eyes, "And no one will hurt you. I'll make sure of it." Bubbles tears were spilling onto her white skirt. She wrapped her arms around Ms. Green's neck and wept softly into the woman's shoulder. Rachel Green rubbed the child's back softly closing her eyes.  
  
The two stayed there, the rhythm of the ticking clock and Bubbles's calming sobs were the only noises. Ms. Green didn't want to let go. This poor child. Bubbles clutched onto the woman's shirt tightly while sobbing into her shoulder.   
  
"Oh no." Bubbles uttered.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ms. Green rubbed the child's back gently. The little blonde took in a broken whimper and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Daddy says I'm not supposed to tell. He'll be mad. Really mad." Bubbles managed out. Ms. Green frowned but comforted the child further.   
  
"Don't worry, I won't let him hurt you. I'll make sure of that." Ms. Green encouraged, Bubbles smiled slightly.  
  
"Okay. But…don't tell him I told you. We're supposed to be a good and happy family. So if he asks, you don't know that he sometimes, accidentally, makes me stop being bad like that." Bubbles insisted. Ms. Green hated that the child obviously thought it was her own fault. Ms. Green looked Bubbles in those oddly large blue eyes.  
  
"You know this isn't your fault, Honey. Your daddy shouldn't do this to you, understand? It isn't your fault at all." Ms. Green put a caring hand to the child's cheek. Before Bubbles could respond, there was a loud honk from outside and some yelling.   
  
"Hey, kid!" Someone shouted from outside, "Get out from in front of the bus!"   
  
A faint "Never" was heard as Buttercup yelled back. Bubbles giggled.  
  
"I better get going." Bubbles began to get off the chair.  
  
"I don't think that it's safe for you to go back home until someone who can help your father has spoken to him." Ms. Green expressed, concernedly. Bubbles smiled warmly.  
  
"It's okay, I'm staying over Buttercup's house anyhow. Thank you, Ms. Green. And remember. Shhhhhhhh!" Bubbles put a hand over her mouth trying to mimic the way she'd seen adults but a finger to their lips. Ms. Green smiled but still seemed worried.  
  
"All right…good bye Bubbles." Ms. Green sighed as Bubbles waved and ran out the door. The remittance of the child's tears had now faded and disappeared. At least now Ms. Green could help her.  
  


* * * *  


  
The bus bumped and jolted as its rickety wheels slammed against the pavement. Luckily though, most of the children had remembered to wear their safety belts. But, being rambunctious children, whenever a speed bump approached, the children would all unbuckle their seat belts and wait for the large bump. Then, the children would see how high they could be bumped and some even struggled to touch the ceiling. It was during this particular activity that the three girls (who had been quiet most of the time) began their conversation.  
  
"Hey, Buttercup…" Bubbles began, bracing for the bump.  
  
"What?" She asked.   
  
"Thanks for standing in front of the bus for me." Bubbles stated as they hit the bump. The two flew into the air and Buttercup touched the cold ceiling with her mitt. Blossom, the more dignified (and possibly more intelligent in this case) remained seated and buckled in. Bubbles came close but didn't quite touch.  
  
"No problem....hey Bubbles…" Buttercup started.   
  
"What?" Bubbles responded another bump approaching. Buttercup paused.  
  
"Does your dad really hit you?" Buttercup said quickly. The bus flew over the bump suddenly and Bubbles hit the ceiling harshly.  
  
"OW! WHAT?!" Bubbles shrieked.   
  
"Does your dad really hit you?" She repeated.  
  
"Buttercup!" Blossom yelled in a very familiar way. "We were not supposed to discuss the events we had overheard! Have you forgotten so quickly?" Blossom sighed.  
  
"I had ta know!" Buttercup insisted. Bubbles was bawling.  
  
"How do you know?! Why were you SPYYYYING?" Bubbles whined out the last part, dragging it a bit. Blossom and Buttercup blinked.  
  
"We were in no way spying." Blossom seemed slightly insulted. She put a mitt over her heart. "Buttercup and I were having a discussion of the days activities when we heard Ms. Green and yourself discussing a notorious staircase in your abode. The rest of the conversation we also inadvertently overheard. There was not any espionage involved." Blossom reassured. Bubbles blinked.  
  
"So…you just heard me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Although you were out of the classroom, down the hallway, outside the building, with a bunch of revving school buses and screaming kids around you?" Bubbles recited the list. Buttercup and Blossom looked at each other.  
  
"Um…yes that would be correct." Blossom looked back at Bubbles.  
  
"I dunno." Buttercup scratched the back of her head. "We just did. We weren't spying. It was like we had…super hearing or something." Buttercup suggested, shrugging. The phrase pinched in the back of their minds. _Super hearing?_ That seemed right. All these thoughts began to hurt thinking about them. Blossom quickly spoke.  
  
"Well…I would like to know if what you and Ms. Green were speaking of was true." Blossom let her curiosity take the better of her. The two leaned in towards Bubbles (her being in the middle) as if to block her from the other children. Buttercup's large bow fanned out from behind her head almost like a blocking screen. Bubbles took in a deep breath.  
  
"Yes." Bubbles said simply clutching her skirt. "But you guys can't tell ANYBODY! You can't, you can't, you CAN'T!" She pleaded with them grasping one of their mitts. "No one's supposed to know! Please don't tell. PLEASE!"  
  
"But, Bubbles, it is not right for a father to do such a thing to his daughter. Heavens knows my father has never struck me once." Blossom said but in her mind she finished with _possibly because I don't ever see him. _  
  
"But…but you can't. Daddy doesn't mean to. He's just telling me that what I'm doing is wrong and that I shouldn't do bad things." She looked down at her lap and then squeezed her friends' hands tightly. "You guys gotta promise that you won't tell." Bubbles looked at them pleadingly.   
  
Buttercup looked to Blossom and Blossom to Buttercup. They could both see the uneasiness in each other's eyes. Buttercup sighed squeezing Bubbles's mitt back.  
  
"I promise." She sighed.  
  
"I, as well, give you my word." Blossom clasped onto Bubbles mitt. "But I still do not like it."  
  
"THANK YOU!" Bubbles smiled and hugged them both happily and changed the subject. "How will we know when we get to your house, Buttercup?"  
  
"My house is big." Buttercup began, uneasily trying to adjust to the change in subject.  
  
"Not as big as mine, I bet." Blossom challenged.   
  
"Oh yeah?" Buttercup smiled. "My house is huge. First you go in through the front door and there's a man who'll open the door for you. His name is Bob. He'll say 'Hello Buttercup how are you?'" Buttercup mimicked the man's voice best she could, "And then I'll say, 'I'm fine Mr. Bob, thank you very much' and he'll say 'C-ya later kiddo' and I'll say bye."  
  
"I NEVER have that long of a conversation with MY butler." Blossom commented.  
  
"Well he's NOT a butler. He's just the doorman. Then you get to the elevator and wait. Then the door opens and there's a guy inside that's name is Terrance. And I say, 'Terrance, fifth floor.' And he says, 'yes ma'am.' And then he presses the button."  
  
"You have an ELEVATOR in your HOUSE?!" Bubbles mouth dropped open in awe. Buttercup nodded proudly.   
  
"And you have an elevator man?" Blossom questioned. Buttercup nodded again. Blossom began to look worried _I want an elevator man named Terrance. Why don't I have one of those?_ "How many floors DOES your house have?"  
  
"Nine." Buttercup said after thinking a moment.  
  
"Nine?" Blossom gulped. I don't believe it! _Someone else has a better house than me? But…but her clothes are so…and she seems like such a…_Blossom's mind raced while Buttercup babbled on about her home. Blossom knew she shouldn't be so upset, this person was her friend. But…the Lukan's were one of the wealthiest people in all of Townsville, how on earth could such an unsophisticated little girl be so rich?  
  
The bus came to a jolty stop in front of a tall building with a redbrick façade. There were two large glass doors in front and a man in a red and gold outfit letting people in.   
  
"Here's our stop." Buttercup leapt down from the seat gleefully followed by Bubbles and an uneasy Blossom. Bubbles wished the bus driver a nice day and hopped down the tall steps to the ground. Buttercup motioned for Blossom and Bubbles to follow her. Blossom looked around cautiously and stepped off the bus. Where was the giant mansion? Where was this amazing house? All she saw was a crummy apartment…building. Blossom began to laugh as the bus sped off with a cloud of smoke.  
  
"What's so funny, Blossom?" Bubbles inquired.  
  
"I…It is an" Blossom chuckled and laughed between words, "It is (chuckle) an (snort) apartment!" Blossom burst out into a fit of laughter managing to say tiny phrases like "nine floors", "door man" and then would break out into an oddly cute laugh. Bubbles and Buttercup looked at one another and shrugged while they waited for Blossom to finish.  
  
"Um…okay."  
  
"I am sorry." Blossom laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "You see, I thought you actually lived in a HOUSE. Not in an apartment." Blossom felt a lot better.  
  
"Uh…well an apartment is a house." Buttercup noted.   
  
"Well not a REAL house. I thought you owned the whole BUILDING not just one measly apartment. Heck, my house is MUCH bigger than this." Blossom bragged as a Lukan had been informed to do. Buttercup shrugged.  
  
"That's probably so." Buttercup said in a non-confrontational manner. Red's teachings of nonviolence had not gone un-rewarded in some departments of Buttercup's demeanor. "Come on!" Buttercup marched up toward the tall glass doors. A bright and happy man, probably in his early thirties tipped his hat at the girls and opened the door saying:  
  
"Hello Buttercup, how are you?" The two girls looked to Buttercup who had recited this very same conversation earlier.   
  
"I'm fine, Mr. Bob, thank you very much." Buttercup and her posse went through the front door into the cool air of the apartment building. Mr. Bob tipped his hat again and said:  
  
"C-ya later, kiddo!" He smiled. Bubbles giggled.  
  
"Bye Mr. Bob!" She waved over excessively. Buttercup lead the way proudly. The halls were covered in a dark carpet which Blossom wasn't sure was dark blue or even black. The inside of the building seemed to be taken care of nice enough. The building wasn't very expensive with the only assets to make it seem to be expensive were the two service people, the doorman and the "elevator man." The walls had very bland and humdrum paintings of flowers and fruit and other still life, which hung on the wall in an uninteresting manner. But, the way Buttercup proceeded down the hallway in such a proud manner; one would expect the little girl to be showing people around the White House!  
  
Blossom snickered a bit at the place. To think she was almost jealous of _this_. Her house was covered in imported African rose-colored marble that was long since "extinct", and gold leafed wallpaper in frivolously overdone designs. Soon the trio made it to the elevator.   
  
Buttercup reached as high as she could to reach the "down" button but couldn't. Bubbles quickly climbed on top of Buttercup's arms (considering there were no shoulders) and reached, her mitt pressed against the button easily and Bubbles jumped off smiling.  
  
"Good teamwork, guys." Blossom congratulated without thinking. The three paused as another spark of remembrance zapped through their minds. Suddenly the hum of the elevator and a loud "DING" as the door open awoke them from their thoughts. A young man smiled brightly, he couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old. He smiled warmly at the three girls.  
  
"What floor, ladies?" He questioned. Buttercup smiled up at him.  
  
"Terrence, fifth floor."   
  
"Yes, ma'am." Terrence grinned pressing the button. Bubbles frowned. She wanted to press the button. Well, perhaps the next time. Terrence's eyes caught sight of the little blonde and his eyes brightened. "Hey there, are you that girl from the commercials?" He questioned. Bubbles nodded and began a small tap routine on the elevator floor. She did this almost on reaction to the mere mention of her commercials. Terrence laughed and clapped a beat for Bubbles (which probably only helped screw her up). "That's wonderful."  
  
"Why thank you Mr. Terrence, sir. I just love to dance." She giggled and Terrence's teenage heart melted.   
  
"Awwww," He rubbed Bubbles hair playfully. "You're sure energetic." The elevator stopped with a ding and the doors slid open expectantly. Bubbles made a cute curtsy and skipped out. Buttercup waved a good-bye and followed Bubbles. Blossom began to strut out when she remembered something.  
  
"Oh yes," The little Lukan recalled, "the matter of your tip."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Terrence bent down to her and winked. "It's on me."  
  
"Pish-posh!" Blossom declared digging into her jacket pocket. "A Lukan never gets ANYTHING for free, besides that lunch I had today but that doesn't count. We are NOT cheap." Blossom pulled out enough Benjamin Franklin's to bribe **God** to bring the man back! Terrence's jaw dropped. Blossom stuck it in his vest pocket and gave him a light tap on the cheek. "Terribly sorry I couldn't give you a bigger tip, but I only have a weeks worth of allowance one me." She tucked the remaining money back into her pocket (there's more!) and said a good-bye to Terrence as she hurried to catch up to her friends.   
  
As the elevator doors closed, Blossom thought she heard a "Woo-hoo!" and the sound of someone doing a cartwheel and clicking their heels but she shrugged it off.  
  
"Hurry up, Blossom!" Buttercup called. Blossom hurried, but not much. A lady does not run. Buttercup reached up high and tipped the doorknob enough to open the door. Blossom could see the key in the lock and noted that Bubbles and Buttercup had probably performed the same maneuver they had downstairs to reach the elevator button. The redhead scolded herself for not tipping the doorman. She'd have to later. "This…is my home." Buttercup opened the door as if displaying the Statue of Liberty to the World. Bubbles "ooed".  
  
The apartment was small with few rooms but just enough to comfortably support two or three people. The door opened directly into the living room, with the kitchen off to the right and a hallway that branched off from the kitchen. The living room was relatively small and had some space in back where a grand view of the city could be seen through the vast window. One could walk out onto the terrace and get a full view of the city from there. The tiny hallway consisted of a bedroom with a bathroom. The living room had a small room branching off from it. That led off into a bedroom. Buttercup stood proudly in front of it as Bubbles and Blossom entered. Blossom made one comment:  
  
"How…quaint."   
  
"Oh I like it, it looks real nice, Buttercup." Bubbles smiled. The house wasn't disheveled and was actually quite nice. Ms. Robins tried very hard to at least keep it clean.  
  
"Thanks, it suits me." Buttercup crossed her arms beaming. Bubbles began to look at the various knickknacks and pictures around the living room area. There was a couch and a love seat with end tables and a coffee table set comfortably in the middle. "My Mommy's usually home before me or has Mrs. Drake from next door come over and watch me if she can't be here. Mrs. Drake says she was busy today, so she'll just pop her head in every now and then." Buttercup informed. Blossom was staring at the bookcase up against the far wall.  
  
"How quaint."  
  
"Ooooo." Bubbles squealed. "Look at all the little glass animals." Bubbles began to play around with a little collection of glass creatures placed carefully on the mantle.   
  
"Yeah, my Mommy calls that her 'glass menagerie' and then she laughs…and I never know why." Buttercup shrugged as Bubbles played around with a little glass unicorn.  
  
"How…quaint." Blossom spoke again. Buttercup seemed annoyed.  
  
"Yeah…anyway, why don't you guys all come down to my room. I'll show you all my cool stuff!" Buttercup ran down the hallway attached to the living room and Bubbles put down the unicorn and motioned for Blossom to follow.  
  
"Come on, Blossom, Buttercup's showin' us her room!" Bubbles raced after her new brunette friend.   
  
"I bet it'll be…quaint." Blossom responded and followed the energetic blonde.  
  
  


* * * *   


  
Red Robins moaned softly thumping her briefcase down on the floor in front of her apartment door. She sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She hoped Buttercup wasn't too much trouble for Mrs. Drake. Red put her key wearily into the lock only to see that Buttercup's key was still inside. _One of these days our whole house is going to be robbed. _Red sighed. She also wished that Mrs. Drake had been watching over her more carefully although she was busy.   
  
As she pushed open the door she heard the sound of children giggling. _Sounds like Buttercup made some friends._ Red smiled to herself. That just meant she'd have to talk to Buttercup later. Besides, it wasn't too late in the afternoon and she would be able to talk to her daughter soon enough.  
  
She opened the door with a creak and put her briefcase down on the sofa. Red turned around taking the key out of the knob and locking the door tight. She looked at the clock and smiled that it was only almost four. Thank goodness Mr. Martin let her off early, even with all the work she had to get done. She decided to announce herself, she'd been dying to hold her daughter in her arms all day.  
  
"Sweetheart! Mommy's home!" She called out. She heard an excited cheer and the door down the hallway flung open as the little child ran down. Buttercup had long since removed her bow and yellow dress and was running around in her play clothes. Buttercup had also tied her hair back (or had Bubbles tie her hair back) into a cute ponytail that stuck out the back of the green baseball cap she was wearing. She leapt into her mother's arms excitedly, two pairs of eyes peeking out to watch the mother and daughter.  
  
"MOMMY!" Buttercup shouted and hugged her mother close. The two remained in silence with Red holding her "baby girl" kissing the child's forehead softly.   
  
"Hi Baby." She whispered rocking the child softly. Bubbles and Blossom felt a sting of jealousy. Red looked up and spotted the two little girls in hiding.  
  
"I see you've made some friends, Buttercup." Red noted and placed her daughter down. "Come on out you two. I won't bite." Bubbles took a bold step out and brushed down her skirt while Blossom lingered a bit.   
  
"Hi." Bubbles gave a wide smile.  
  
"Hello, I'm Buttercup's Mom, you can just call me Red." Red shook hands gently with the little blonde-haired girl. "Hey, aren't you little Bubbles Fisher? From the commercials?" Bubbles nodded and once again began her tap routine on reaction.  
  
"Oh brother," Buttercup rolled her eyes. Red smiled pleasantly and applauded the little girl's talent.   
  
"Wonderful!" Red complimented as Bubbles made an adorable curtsy.  
  
Blossom took a coy step from behind the doorframe, not quite sure why she was so shy. The woman seemed nice enough with beautiful red hair tied back in a sweet bun. She looked young and had a warm look about her. Suddenly, Ms. Robins looked toward Blossom with shinning green irises. Blossom took a step back.   
  
"Don't be shy. My name's Red. What's yours?"  
  
"I am Blossom Laura Lukan. How do you do?" Blossom held out her hand. Red shook it casually trying to remember where she'd heard the name "Lukan" before.   
  
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Ms. Robins smiled politely. Bubbles and Blossom decided that she was a nice enough lady and agreed that she, too, was a pleasure to meet.   
  
Red couldn't help but notice how amazingly similar the three were to each other. Seeing the three together seemed to light something in Red's mind. She thought she's seen the three together somewhere before. When that thought seeped into her mind; she couldn't get it out. Buttercup stopped those thoughts though.  
  
"Mommy, can Bubbles and Blossom and I please go to the park! Blossom says she's never played baseball before and I gotta show her how!" Buttercup pleaded, her long black hair brushing the top of her back in its sweet ponytail. Red frowned.  
  
"I don't know, Honey. I seem to remember getting a call from your teacher today." Ms. Robins gave a disappointed look to her young child.   
  
"Gee, Mommy, I'm sorry. But she was being so mean. I tried! I really did try not to hit her. Mitsy started making fun of you, Mommy. And she just kept on pushing me and hurting me." The child let out a sigh. "If I could of stopped myself I would've. I'm sorry. I let her get the best of me. I'll try my hardest never EVER to fight again." Buttercup promised sincerely looking into her mother's eyes. A part of Buttercup went off like a siren. Part of her practically died when she spoke those words. But Buttercup couldn't quite pinpoint why.  
  
"Well…all right. We still have to talk about this, but I suppose we can go to the park for a little bit." Red agreed. The three children cheered happily.  
  
"I should most like to try this 'baseball' and wear these 'play clothes'." Blossom smiled brightly. "I've never gotten anything dirty before. Mother would be irate." The little Lukan smiled.  
  
"Well, it's been a while since I played ball." Bubbles pretended to hold the bat over her shoulder and take a wild swing.  
  
"Yer out!" Buttercup laughed. Bubbles frowned and put her hands on her hips. Blossom…looked confused.  
  
"All right, Buttercup, why don't you lend your friends some of your play clothes so they won't ruin their nice school clothes." Red suggested. Buttercup agreed and headed down the hall with Blossom and Bubbles.  
  
"I'm sure they'll be…quaint." Blossom noted.  
  
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" Buttercup yelled and Blossom just laughed.  
  
  



	11. Chapter 10

Sorry so long. There's school and so many other things. I barely got this chapter up but don't worry ^.~. We'll be going places vbery quickly soon. Enough suspense...more action! Sorry...next chapter...or after that. o.o

Chapter 10

Blossom looked herself over in the mirror carefully. Her beautifully pressed, navy blue, school uniform was placed gently on the bed. Her red hair had been let down, cascading over where her shoulders would've been. She was admiring the new clothes she was dressed in. Blossom was now wearing a light pink top with a pair of blue jeans. Faded blue jeans. The clothes were far from expensive and more like something she'd assume only farmers would wear…but they felt comfortable. She smiled at her reflection. Wouldn't Mother be furious.

"You look beautiful." Buttercup commented sarcastically leaning on her bedroom's doorframe. Her appearance made Blossom jump. She blushed, embarrassed. 

"Why thank you. I do believe these are the most comfortable clothes I have ever adorned." Blossom commented. Buttercup shrugged.

"You like 'em so much, you can have 'em." She responded from leaning in her doorway. Blossom turned her head sharply towards Buttercup, her orange hair whipping around her face.

"Real…really? Do you mean it?" Blossom asked, excitedly. The green-eyed girl shrugged.

"Sure, I hate pink." Buttercup was about to leave when Blossom threw her arms around her in an embrace.

"Oh thank you thank you THANK YOU!" The pink-eyed child squeezed her friend till Buttercup thought she'd break in two. 

"You're…welcome…" 

"Come on girls!" Ms. Robins cried from the living room. Bubbles ran in to get them. She wore a light blue T-shirt with the Superman symbol on it and also had on a pair of ripped blue jeans. Her pigtails were almost obscured by one of Buttercup's many baseball caps.

"Come on, you guys!" Bubbles bounced. "Red says we're gonna go now." Blossom released Buttercup from her kung-fu grip and Buttercup was aloud to breathe again.

"Terribly sorry, don't know what came over me. I must repay you somehow." Blossom said. The brunette just breathed, enjoying the life-giving air.

"Let's just…get to…the car." Buttercup panted out. She wasn't sure why Blossom's grip hurt so much. She'd never been squeezed so hard in her life. That rich-chick had power! She wondered how good she'd be at bat.

* * * *

Red Robins had never had a car so full of children. Her tiny four door Sedan could barely hold the three kindergartners (who DEMANDED to sit with one another). Red looked through the rear view mirror at her darling daughter and new found friends.

"…and then he says 'got your nose-y'! And I cried an' cried but he never gave it back." Bubbles finished her horror story. Blossom and Buttercup gasped. Bubbles nodded. "It's all true." Blossom put her hands over where her nose should have been.

"I never knew one's nose could be removed by using the pointer and middle fingers." Blossom looked at her mitts. "Good heavens, Bubbles! Do you think they removed are fingers to prevent us from getting vengeance?" The other two looked at their hands.

"Maybe they did…" Bubbles looked frightened. Red began to laugh.

"It's a joke." Red snickered. The three looked up at her.

"That's a pretty mean joke! Stealin' someone's nose!" Buttercup replied.

"No, no! They don't really steal your…oh never mind." Red chuckled and the three just shrugged. Suddenly Buttercup remembered something.

"I'm mad at you, Mommy!" She yelled. Red bit her lower lip and sighed,_ okay what did I do this time._

"What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me I had sisters?" Buttercup asked, a pouty tone to her voice. Red turned the wheel sharply and the kids in the back nearly fell to one side. 

"What?!" Red asked. 

"Why didn't you say I had sisters?"

"Honey," Red calmed down placing both hands firmly on the wheel. "You don't have any sisters. Why would you think something…so…silly." Red glanced at the rearview mirror to see the three practically identical girls in the back. She smiled smugly figuring out why. "Ah, I see."

"Mrs. Red-ma'am." Bubbles spoke up from her nestled seat in the back. "You see, me an' Blossom were both adopted by nice people when we were found on their doorsteps. We thought that since we all look alike and the two of us were adopted an' Buttercup wasn't…well we thought maybe her mommy was our mommy too." Bubbles completed innocently. Red jerked the wheel again, swerving a bit.

_Uh-oh._ Red thought to herself biting her lower lip. She knew this day would come. She knew one day she'd have to tell her little baby Buttercup that she was really adopted. Found on a doorstep like a rag-a-muffin. But not here! Not in front of her friends. Red was silent for a while.

"Oh, Bubbles, sweetheart. I'm afraid that you aren't sisters." Red said calmly, avoiding the subject as best she could. "Here we are!" Red chimed perfectly. The three peered out of the window passing by Senecal Garden Park. The beautiful green leaves whipped by, the sun making the three squint as the looked onto the sun-bleached grass. There were a few kids and teenagers enjoying the fresh weather and stunning atmosphere. The children squirmed impatiently waiting to be released from the car. Red gave a little smile and parked carefully. 

"I can't wait to show you my fast ball!" Buttercup gloated, unbuckling her safety belt. "It's so fast you can hardly see it!" Buttercup pushed open the door and leapt to the ground.

"Ha!" Bubbles laughed also releasing herself. "You ain't seen nothing till you seen me hit. POW! CRACK! And there's noting but a ball of string!" Bubbles smiled proudly, gloating in her own right.

"I, myself, cannot wait to learn of this sport. It certainly isn't the type of sport Father is involved with. I assume it must be a little understandable though." Blossom followed the girls while Red pulled a bat, a ball, and a baseball glove from the trunk. She shut the trunk with a loud thunk and made sure the car was locked up tight. 

"Okay girls, let's head out to the diamond and you can show me your stuff." Red smiled pleasantly. She gained an evil grin. "LAST ONE THERE'S A ROTTEN EGG!" She cried and broke out into a run, surprising the three 5-year-olds. 

"Oh no ya don't, Mommy!" Buttercup ran after, her tiny shoes smacking against pavement as she raced after her mother.

"Oooo! No head starts!" Bubbles called after. She broke out into a run as well, thinking how funny Red was. 

"H…hey! Wait for me!" Blossom cried. She had hardly run before. That wasn't lady-like. But then again…she never wore jeans before either. Blossom smiled devilishly and followed suit, trying to catch up. It was so odd for an adult to act like a child, but it was sure nice too.

* * * *

"I wanna be pitcher!"

"I do!"

"Well I'M gonna be the pitcher!" Buttercup growled, head to head with Bubbles. The two had started quarreling the minute Red had asked who wanted to pitch (and for anyone who was wondering…Red was the rotten egg). Red sighed.

"Listen Buttercup, Bubbles is out guest, therefore she can be pitcher first. And we'll ALL have a chance to be pitcher anyway. Let's remember our manners." Red said adjusting Buttercup's baseball cap. Buttercup sighed trying to release her anger.

"Oh…all right." 

"Good." Red turned to Blossom. "Now Blossom, you've never played this game before, right?"

"No ma'am." Blossom stated adjusting her posture and looking up toward Red. "I have yet to participate in this sport." Blossom stated articulately. Red gave a warming grin. 

"All right, we'll show you how to bat first and then we'll let you try." Red picked up a bat in her slender hands and told Blossom to follow her. Blossom was obedient and followed. Red began explaining the equipment used for the game. Buttercup sighed and walked to the outfield, where she expected nothing would happen considering Blossom had never played ball before.

Bubbles practiced a few positions for pitching. She tried her best to look like those baseball guys on TV. She lifted up her leg and pretended to throw a wild pitch. Bubbles stuck her tongue out and pretended to throw again. The action reminded her of the way her and Daddy used to play ball in the park sometimes. With all the other people around. Bubbles paused, her tap shoes pressed against the soft dirt of the pitcher's mound. _Daddy. _She hadn't seen him since she ran out. And he'd be mad. He'd be really mad. But…but Ms. Green would take care of it. But it wasn't really Daddy's fault…the thoughts raced about in Bubbles's head as a stiff wind blew her pigtails back.

"…and then you would swing the bat like this." Red demonstrated swinging the wooden bat in front of her and following through. "You see? Now, you try." Red handed Blossom the bat, the wind blowing her hair in front of her face. Red smiled and brushed some of Blossom's hair out of her face affectionately. Blossom smiled. 

"I comprehend. Like this." Blossom swung the bat wildly and it flew over the dirt and onto the grass, creating a brown cloud of dust as it rolled from the path to the green grass. Blossom bit her lower lip, but Red smiled.

"It's something like that. All you really need to do is grip it tighter. Here." Red picked up the bat and walked back to Blossom. She put the bat in Blossom's mitts and helped position her hands. "Like this." Blossom griped the white-taped end of the bat tightly; Red's fingers help holding them there warmly. Red's presence was somehow a comfort to Blossom. "Now you swing like this." Red moved the bat with Blossom's hands still grasped onto it along with her own. She motioned with Blossom the movement of the bat swinging through the air. She then let Blossom try. Red smiled gently. "You've got it! My you're a fast learner." She commented.

"That is one of my best traits, or so I have been informed." Blossom grinned. 

"All right Bubbles, think you can throw us a pitch?" Red waited making sure that Blossom gripped the bat correctly. "Bubbles?" Red gazed over to the tiny blonde staring off pensively into the wind. "Honey, are you all right?"

"Huh?" Bubbles snapped from her thoughts. Her Daddy would be so angry…if only she could stay with that nice Ms. Robins and her new friends. Just a little longer. She put on that camera-friendly smile and winded up a pitch. "Okay!" 

"Underhand! Throw it underhand!" Red called as she took out her worn mitt, playing umpire.

"Oh…okay." Bubbles stopped winding up and bent over. She gave a slow underhanded pitch that waved softly in the air. It seemed so slow that the wind might've blown it to the ground. Blossom closed her eyes and swung. 

She put a mitt to shield the sun as she looked for where she'd hit it. Red coughed from behind her. The pink-eyed girl saw the baseball resting comfortably in Red's baseball glove. She heard guffawing from the outfield.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Buttercup laughed pointing a mitt and holding her stomach as if the laughter was causing her pain. "My GRANDMOTHER could hit better than that!" She giggled, laughing to the blue sky. Blossom pouted.

"Buttercup! Be nice." Red warned and then turned to Blossom with a pleasant smile, "Okay honey, this time, keep your eye on the ball. Hold the bat like this. Good. Okay Bubbles." Red threw the dusty-white ball back to the blonde. She caught it and wound up again. She threw a soft underhanded pitch. Blossom swung.

She looked to see the ball practically glide into Red's open glove. 

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Buttercup laughed even harder. "Oh come on! Am I gonna wait out here forever!"

Blossom frowned and stomped her shoes in a hissy-fit. She shook her head and decided this time; it was going out of the park! Or right down that Buttercup's throat! Blossom reared her bat back, squatted lower and glared into the pitcher. Bubbles smiled.

"Don't worry Blossom, you'll get it this time!" Bubbles winded up.

"If anyone doesn't mind, I'm going to sleep." Buttercup commented. Red shot her a glare but now Blossom was determined. 

Bubbles wound up carefully and let the ball roll off of her mitt towards home base with impeccable aim. The ball hovered towards the base like a feather on the wind. Blossom brought her bat back, kept her eye on the ball, she swung foreword putting her whole body into it and following through. The bat made a satisfying crack as it slammed into the ball sending it burning, literally, into the outfield. 

Buttercup did a double take at the ball flaming through the air at an alarming speed. Reacting on instinct, she leapt up so high, it seems as though the child was…flying. Buttercup was surprised as she found herself practically (if not actually) flying off of the green grassy ground. _Whoa…how'm I…_Buttercup didn't finish her thought before looking up to see a flaming baseball headed straight for her.

**POW!**

* * * *

There was a darkness. A memory suddenly surfaced in her mind. There was her and her two new friends in these odd dresses…something like the yellow and white dress she wore to school. But hers was green, and Blossom had a pink one on to match her eyes, and Bubbles was wearing and light blue one. They were flying; the three of them into a sparkling cluster of stars burning into the black void of space…space.

She barely got a chance to search through the airless bleak abyss. Bubbles and Blossom arch back for re-entry, Buttercup seems to follow. The three join together as flames encircle them, burning all around. The flames encased them all around till they turned into a large fiery…feline. 

They plummeted toward the Earth. A mass of land changing to America, to the coast, to Townsville sky line, to the large section of the city with a pea soup green blob mushing over everything. The girls charging towards it, the flames building, the adrenaline pumping. 

Buttercup opened one eye meekly. The sun was blinding her behind three shadowy heads and a disoriented voice. She felt her head pound and a burning in her eyes. The burning reminded her of something else. Something with black ooze dripping all over her. Was that another dream? Buttercup tried to get up. She heard her mother's soft voice.

"Buttercup, baby…are you all right?" Red asked concerned. Her little child opened one beautiful green eye at her. She had watched her child leap into the air, flying almost. The ball zooming toward her like a mini-comet. Blossom screaming "Oh my Goodness, oh my goodness I did it." Then the ball slammed straight into Buttercup flinging her threw the air and crashing her into the grass below. It didn't stop there. The ball dug into Buttercup dragging her across the ground deeper into the ground, the dirt building up around her on both sides with a rumble. Red had watched in awe and horror as Buttercup slowed to a stop. The ground steaming with the heat of her passage. The ball sizzling. The child rubbed her other eye slowly, the ball still in it.

"I'm okay…owwww. BLOSSOM YOU MORON!" Buttercup got up quickly throwing the ball to the grass. Bubbles gasped.

"Buttercup your eye!" Bubbles pointed to her eye.

"What! What's wrong?!" Buttercup covered her eye with her mitt protectively.

"It's…ewwwwww." Bubbles shielded herself from Buttercup's eye. It was black and blue and swollen. Buttercup could feel the lines where the stitches of the ball had hit against her eye. Red shook herself out of her shock. A hit like that…she thought her child would go to the emergency room. Her heart was beating a mile-a-minute. But…she seemed only to have black eye. Blossom rushed over apologizing quickly.

"I am so terribly, dreadfully sorry. I am so amazingly sorry my dear, dear friend. Allow me to assist you." She helped Buttercup up. "Oh dear Lord I apologize! I did not realize the massive power in my arm. I am a good ball-player though…" Blossom thought aloud. Buttercup growled but kept her temper down. 

"It's okay, I'm okay." Buttercup muttered holding her eye while standing on wobbly legs.

"Everyone in the car!" Red cried. The three girls leapt at the woman's frantic cry. They seemed confused while Red collected their things. 

_What just happened here? _ Red wondered picking up the bat, a hand to the side of her face. She had witnessed a five-year-old girl, who had NEVER played baseball in her life, smash a ball so hard it could've had it's own orbit! She saw her own child hit with that ball and come out with a BLACK EYE. Things weren't adding up. The logic was all wrong. 

The troupe loaded into the car in silence, Buttercup holding her injured eye, Blossom and Bubbles with their heads bowed. Red threw the things into the trunk and sat in the front gripping the steering wheel. She looked out the windshield for a minute. She tried to calm herself, but all the while something in the back of her mind was nagging that this all, somehow, was just like it should be. 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"…terribly, terribly, awfully, horribly, immensely, incredibly SORRY!" Blossom finished her insatiably long string of descriptions for her apology. Buttercup drummed her mitt on the dresser looking into the mirror at her black eye. The car ride home was silent and awkward. Her mother was quiet and driving a little badly while trying to think. Buttercup had headed straight to her room while her mother flopped onto the couch and Bubbles had to call somebody real quick. Blossom had followed after apologizing. That was five minutes ago. Buttercup blew a strand of her straight-cut bangs upward wondering how she put up with a girl that knew way too much vocabulary. 

"Listen, Blossom, I'm okay. Really. Stop with the apologizing already." She forced a smile and began to busy herself with something quickly. She took down her long hair that was tied back into her ponytail. Her hair fell gently and quite beautifully to where her shoulders would've been. Buttercup began brushing her long hair slowly for no other reason than to busy herself for a little bit.

Blossom looked over the collection of hair items on the dresser in front of Buttercup's vanity. The hair bands ranged in all sorts of colors and shades and designs. She had tiny clips, big bows, head bands, barrettes with cats and animals on them, and many many scrunchies ranging in colors and sizes. Blossom touched a big red bow with a yellow center. She noticed it was the same bow that Buttercup was wearing in a picture on her dresser. Buttercup looked at Blossom.

"Do you like that?" She questioned running the brush through her black hair another time.

"Yes…" Blossom trailed off feeling it's satiny texture. She couldn't explain it, but the bow spoke to her, it called for her. It was cheap, but beautiful in it's own way. Seeming very special and enigmatic for being just a bow. Buttercup turned toward the mirror looking at her own hair and looked back to the bow. She sighed and got up.

"Here." Buttercup took Blossom by the arm and sat her in front of the vanity.

"What are you doing?" Blossom asked looking at Buttercup. She gave a warm smile back. 

"I'm going to do your hair." Buttercup smiled. Something inside her twinged like she'd just been shot. Like she had just said something she would've never said before in her life. Or in a previous one. Buttercup shook it off and began brushing Blossom's hair. It felt familiar. It's texture; it's color, just brushing Blossom's hair seemed familiar.

Her mitts worked quickly brushing through the orange locks like they'd found inspiration. Blossom saw Buttercup began to intensely comb through her hair, a determined look on the brunette's face. The little Lukan thought it odd, but said nothing. She watched Buttercup reach down for a scrunchie but then throwing it away finding something better. A little pink clip with a red heart attached to it.

Meanwhile, Bubbles was waiting patiently on the phone. A steady ring being heard as she tried to reach the Fisher residence. Bubbles shifted uncomfortably. Soon her daddy would pick up the phone, and he'd be mad, and he'd want to teach her that what she did was wrong. Bubbles sniffled sadly. She didn't want Daddy to be mad! She should've never run off that morning! Her daddy would be so very VERY upset.

Soon the phone clicked as someone picked it up. Bubbles's throat tightened.

"H…hello?" A slow voice said in an almost tired manner. Bubbles sighed; it was only her mother, Nancy. She gulped deeply.

"H…hi Mommy." Bubbles whispered.

"Bubbles?!" Nancy cried, and Bubbles heard a loud thunk from the other side of the line. Nancy had fallen off of the couch again. Bubbles waited for her mother to get the phone she had most likely dropped. "Bubbles, sweetheart is that you?"

"Yes Mommy." The blue-eyed-girl whispered quietly. Red was only a few feet away with her head resting on the back of the couch. Bubbles turned her back to Red; she didn't want the nice lady to hear her if her daddy came on the phone.

"Oh Bubbles, Honey, you have to come home right away. Your, um, father and I have been so worried." Mrs. Fisher rubbed her tired face with her hand trying to rub the spots from her eyes. 

"Oh but Mommy, I made new friends and they're so nice and they look like me and we think we might be sisters!" Bubbles smiled at the thought. She heard her mother sigh.

"Bubbles, your father is…very worried and he…he um needs you home, you know. He's angry too." Nancy almost whispered. She slowly rubbed a bruise on her arm. Bubbles paused and whispered so quietly, Mrs. Fisher barely heard her.

"Mommy I don't wanna go home….I'm scared. I was scared this morning." Bubbles tried to choke back the tears, "What if Daddy is REALLY mad? I'm REALLY sorry Mommy!" She put a hand over her mouth as if that would somehow stop herself from crying. 

Nancy thought for a moment. How could she do this to this little girl? How could she drag a child to a home to her raving mad husband? She glanced over at a picture on the mantle. Bubbles was in a sweet pink skirt and white top with lacey fringe around the edge. She was only about 3-years-old, smiling…with a large black and blue mark on her arm. Nancy's eyes watered. She couldn't do this to her daughter anymore. The least she could do was calm Jack down. 

"Where are you?" Mrs. Fisher asked seriously. Bubbles sighed.

"I'm in this apartment building with Red. And Buttercup…Buttercup." The blonde struggled to remember the name, "Oh yeah! Buttercup Robins." Nancy nodded slowly; sure she'd heard that name before. 

"Okay…I'll try to calm your father down and you can stay for dinner, but right after you um, you gotta call me. Okay?" 

Bubbles's heart filled with joy. Her mother was sparing her. Her mother was saving her! She jumped up and down excitedly so Red looked up from her resting position. 

"THANK YOU, MOMMY!" Bubbles squealed with delight into the phone. Mrs. Fisher grinned a bit when she heard the front door open and a lot of swearing coming from the man who had just entered.

"I gotta go, be good. Call me after dinner. I'll calm him down." Nancy insisted. She was about to slam the phone down when she heard a little voice say:

"I love you, Mommy." Then the phone hung up and Nancy smiled.

Bubbles leapt up and down her light blue shirt flying up (she was still in the play clothes). Ms. Robins rose quickly to the bouncing girl. 

"What's going on, Bubbles?" Red beamed. She'd been exhaustingly trying to figure out what had happened in the park. How was it physically possible for two little girls to do that? It seemed like the Matrix or something. She had been frightened but something itched at her. Like this was how it should have been. Like her daughter could do that and more. Red shook her head, that was silly she had raised Buttercup since she was a baby and although the child seemed to be mentally superior to most kids her age, she had never BEFORE shone any signs of physical superiority. Bubbles was giggling and smiling happily.

"Oh, Red! Mommy says I can stay! I'm gonna have dinner with you!" She beamed brightly and hugged Red's leg. Her enthusiasm was contagious and Red couldn't help but grin. Bubbles was such a ray of sunshine…Red would certainly not mind cooking for another person. 

"That's wonderful!" Red gave Bubbles a hug and smiled. "Well, why don't you go and see if Blossom can stay and then you three can decide what you want for dinner." 

"Pizza!" Bubbles yelled and ran towards Buttercup's room. Red laughed playfully.

"No pizza!"

Bubbles reached up and opened the door. She smiled happily but saw that her friends were just standing there, staring into the mirror. Well actually, she could only see Buttercup. Bubbles walked over carefully with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong? What are you guys looking…at…?" Bubbles asked and then looked into the mirror. She saw Blossom's reflection and instantly stopped questioning.

Blossom sat with perfect posture staring into her reflection. Her beautiful orange hair was tied back into a simple ponytail with the aid of a small pink clip with a little plastic red heart attached to it. On top of her head was a big crimson bow that stood almost like rabbit ears. She looked so familiar. She couldn't place it but everything seemed right. Her hair was…perfect! There was no other way to describe it. It was as if her whole life she'd been a different person. Everything was getting clearer it seemed. Blossom knew that she wasn't a Lukan at all and somehow she, Buttercup, Bubbles, and this…this bow were a part of her.

"Wow…that seems…" Buttercup started.

"…right." Bubbles finished. Blossom nodded, the ponytail shifted with her. Buttercup shook her head.

"Ha, not so bad with the brush am I?" Buttercup grinned looking away from the familiar sight. Blossom nodded again slowly…then more forcefully. 

"Um…yes well…it is rather nice." Blossom looked at Buttercup and then grabbed her quick.

"What the-" Buttercup shouted when Blossom sat her quickly upon the seat in front of the vanity. The lights shone upon her long black hair causing it to shine beautifully. Blossom smiled.

"Allow me to return the favor." Blossom grabbed the brush and began to stroke. Bubbles giggled.

"I wanna help!" Bubbles snatched a pair of scissors. Buttercup instantly felt a little frightened.

"Uh…scissors?! I don't really think that-"

SNIP! Bubbles had all ready begun with a sharp slice of Buttercup's hair. A long lock of ebony hair fell to the carpet. Buttercup frowned. She _had_ wanted to cut her hair; it was always so hard to take care of when it was long. But she didn't think Bubbles should be the one to cut it! 

"BUBBLES! STOP!" Buttercup yelled trying to tear her hair away from Bubbles, and unfortunately succeeding. 

RIIIIIIIIIIIIP! Buttercup stared agape at a diagonal cut that tore a huge bunch out of her hair.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!" She cried grabbing the ripped ends. Bubbles put a mitt over her mouth.

"Whoops…" Bubbles whispered hiding the scissors.

"Ha! Pay back time for-" Blossom started then stopped herself. Wh…why would she say that? She just met her. Pay back for what? Something with her hair…Blossom began to ponder. 

"I'm sorry, Buttercup!" Bubbles pleaded. Buttercup's face got red with anger. Don't fight don't fight don't fight don't fight…was the thought that raged through her mind as she clenched her mitts. 

"Just…**FIX**…it!" Buttercup growled through grit teeth. Bubbles shakily held the scissors and began to snip slowly and carefully, trying to make the ends even, but failing miserably. 

"Oops…oops….oops." Bubbles repeated over and over. Buttercup nearly screamed.

"STOP IT YOU BUBBLE-BRAIN!" Buttercup snatched the scissors roughly. Bubbles nearly cried. "You're BUTCHERING my hair!" Buttercup shouted throwing the scissors down. Bubbles began to cry and Blossom snapped from her thoughts. She was at the verge of a discovery, especially when she heard the line about "butchering hair". 

"Stop it you two!" Blossom sighed. "There, there, Bubbles. It's okay, you didn't mean to." Blossom comforted. Bubbles sniffed. 

"I'm sorry." She looked down sadly.

"Don't worry about it." Blossom smiled.

"Don't worry about it? DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT?!" Buttercup leapt up. "Just look at what she did to my hair!" Buttercup howled. Blossom remained calm and rational. 

"Here, I am an excellent hair dresser amongst many things. I was taught a few tricks of the trade." Blossom picked up the scissors and seated the frustrated Buttercup down. She took the scissors and began to cut carefully and gently. Bubbles watched and got happier with every snip. Buttercup's hair was beginning to look a little more manageable.

"It's looking better already!" Bubbles shouted, smiling. Buttercup shut her eyes tight hoping that Blossom wasn't as bad as Bubbles was. After a little bit, the cutting stopped and there was an awkward silence. 

"What? What is it?!" Buttercup questioned, her eyes still shut tight. "You guys didn't…aw no!" Buttercup opened her eyes, expecting to find herself near bald with tufts of hair sticking out everywhere, but it was…it was…

Buttercup was looking at herself with her hair cut a lot shorter. Her hair rested above her shoulders now and the ends were slightly turned up in an adorable…flip. Her raven locks shimmered in the light as it lied on the carpeted ground in piles. Her hair though, her hair was now so…so right. It was the perfect length, just like she'd wanted it. However Blossom knew how to cut it was beyond her. Blossom let the scissors drop to the floor. 

The girls suddenly noticed all three of them staring back in the mirror. A blonde in pigtails, a short-haired brunette, and a red-head in a ponytail. They all began to dream. One dream they appeared to be sharing. 

It was dark and Bubbles could see from her point of view through her own watery eyes, the ceiling. And there was a hand holding hers. She looked over to see Blossom staring at the ceiling, saying something. Something about being bad and a new law. Bubbles had tucked the light blue portion of a bed spread up to her "chin" during the night. The redhead next to her seemed sad, but at the same time was a comfort to her. Bubbles felt her cheeks stinging from many warm tears as she cuddled up close to this person…her…sister?

Blossom was seeing the ceiling with a few tears in her eyes, holding Bubbles's hand. She gripped it tight making sure to give a little comfort although she felt insecure. There was carpeted ground below her and only a thin layer of covers with streaks of pink, blue, and green across it vertically. She closed her eyes for a minute, letting the seriousness of the situation they were in sink in…whatever situation that was Blossom couldn't remember. She just held onto the hand when her sister spoke up…Buttercup?

There was a glossy veil of tears in the brunette's eyes. She choked them back best she could. Finally, Buttercup cried something about good guys and bad guys. She finally let a tear roll down her cheek and clasped onto Blossom's hand closing her eyes tightly. Trying her damnedest not to shed another tear. She felt a quick squeeze from the hand she held. Blossom's way of comforting her. Buttercup heard a voice squeak from the other side of the tri-colored blanket. Her sister, Bubbles. Bubbles?

Red Robins waited patiently in the living room. She'd been hoping Bubbles would come out with what everyone wanted for dinner. But, she had heard some giggling and yelling, now…there was silence. She became a little frightened. Red ran a hand through her thick red hair and sighed. They were little girls; they could be quiet, couldn't they? Ms. Robins just put on a smile and rapped on her daughter's door.

"Girls?" Red asked opening the door and entering. "Girls, what are you-" Red began but didn't finish. The three girls were in the middle of the room with their eyes closed. There was a strange glow coming from the locket around Buttercup's neck and the locket around Blossom's. That would've been the only odd thing if it hadn't been for the fact the three girls were floating in the center of the room, all holding hands facing towards one another. All these thoughts and visions of the three girls fighting evil, destroying monsters, beating up villains, flooded Red's mind. The realization that everything she had known was not as it had seemed. Everything spun and crumbled as Red felt herself losing consciousness, the images overwhelming her. Before she fell into the inky blackness, one word entered her mind. 

_Utonium._


	13. Chapter 12

(Hi! Sorry these always take so long, but what with school finals, my MSTing series, and the stress of maintaining a site, these take a bit. But don't worry, I think I've got this all figured out. Remember people...this is gonna be LONG!)

  


  
Chapter 12  
  


  
  
The whir and click of machinery flew through the air like a drum beat in a parade. The steady hiss from the respiratory created a certain woodwind effect to the scientific instrumental. Every jolt as the lightening jumps bantered back and forth built up the excitement like a brass instrument solo. The music of his own laboratory was enough to drown out the Grand Symphony.   
  
He lifted his head from his work as he had been staring at it for so long. He didn't know the time, or the day, all he knew was that with the mere flip of the switch, he would either fail or succeed.  
  
Beads of perspiration dripped off of his face as his gloved hand reached for the forked switch. The synthetic symphony roared louder as his hand approached, awaiting the de nu mont of the masterpiece. He touched the silver forked switched with shivering hands, as though touching destiny itself.   
  
He sighed and with a renewed forceful grip, threw the switch.  
  
The silence was unbearable. The feel of the blood pumping heatedly through his veins was enough to make him explode. Succeed or fail. Sink or swim.  
  
The lab cast him and his hopes into eternal darkness. The symphony ended abruptly with the final last jolt from his "brass" section.   
  
He had failed.  
  
His face contorted with hostility. A horrible grimace spread across his unshaven face. His work, his pride, gone in a flash of a white bolt. The last fizzling whips of energy barley streaked over his latest failure. He frowned; his fists clenching around the device which had drove his heart to elation, only to crash it down in utter despair.  
  
He breathed a heated breath, which spoke his anger without words. His lip curled up into an awful, vengeful sneer. He spoke finally:  
  
"Oh darn." Professor Utonium sighed as he flipped the lights back on in his laboratory. The Transdimentional Time Reverser had been a failure. But what in his blue prints could've forced this experiment to go awry? He picked up the flat sheet of blue and white and stared intently on the page. He was surprised when a little blue ball rolled down from inside the blue print. Bubbles must have been playing in the laboratory again.   
  
At first, the Professor looked at the little nerf intruder with a bit of distaste. How many times had he told his little blue-eyed baby NOT to play in his laboratory? He picked up the tiny blue sphere and found his heart softening. The poor girl.  
  
The Professor looked toward the clock. 9:00. Was that a.m. or p.m.? The Professor couldn't even remember. His square fingers brushed over the roughage of his jaw. A light stubble was forming across his face in a rather homely looking beginning of a beard. He frowned at this. The stuffy laboratory was giving his clothing a chemical smell and his appearance was suffering over his work. Things like hygiene only seemed to get in the way when Professor Utonium worked hard on his latest breakthrough. Or failure in this case.   
  
He sighed and headed up the stairs, his footsteps pounding the whole way. He finally reached the top and twisted the knob. He'd either find day or night on the floor above. He opened the door and the house was silent and dark. The lights were off and it was pitch black. The air in front of him was dark enough that shutting his eyes would've made no difference. The Professor reached over the walls, feeling for a light switch. He flipped one on and found himself staring into the faces of his three little girls.   
  
Well, actually, a picture of his three little girls. Their faces smiled happily. They almost brightened the room more so than the measly lights dangling above. His little angels. His mood improved at the sight of them. The Professor's greatest creations, with them around, he never felt like a failure.  
  
How long had it been since he had last laid eyes on his sweet little girls? His eyes glanced towards the calendar and his jaw dropped open. It had been days since Professor Utonium had exited the confines of his cave-like laboratory. His little angels had to fend for themselves for THAT long?   
  
The Professor paced back and forth wildly. His poor little babies! He glanced back towards the calendar and realized that the last day Blossom had X-ed off was the day of Sunday. Mother's Day. The Professor bit his lower lip sadly.  
  
The issue of Mother's Day had always been a skittish one around the Utonium household. The topic had always been skirted around and avoided as best as he could. The Professor didn't want his girls to grow up without a mother, of course. But, he hadn't found the "one" yet. He didn't want the girls to think that they were unloved either. But sometimes instantly changing from bachelor to father in mere moments can really be hard to adjust to. Sometimes he forgot he had three little angels awaiting him. The Professor sometimes didn't realize how much time flew by as he worked in his laboratory. Leaving his angels alone. Especially on Mother's Day.  
  
The girls were already very special. Super powers are enough to distinguish anyone from a particular species. Let alone their physical appearance. Rounded nubs for hands and obscenely large irises were enough to make any human call them…freaks. He shuddered at the words. But, the girls were accepted in society as protectors and as normal children despite their physical differences. Not only were they accepted, but hailed as gods among the citizens. As heaven-sent protectors of an otherwise defenseless city.   
  
So the girls had not only accepted this, but themselves although they were different. Professor Utonium even questioned if they thought of themselves as different in any physical way. But, he knew they felt different in another way. They were mother-less, and although they insisted that he was enough parent for them, the Professor couldn't help feel as though they wanted that aspect of a family too. Something to make their family a little more…normal. To make it as normal as they could.  
  
Whenever Mother's Day rolled around, it seemed to be a constant reminder to them that they weren't normal. That there WAS something missing. That's how the Professor saw it anyway. He usually tried to make them feel like it was any normal day or take them someplace special to keep their minds off it. But he'd missed that Mother's Day and probably left his children alone…lonely…and reminded of everything that was different or odd about them.   
  
The Professor only hoped that his little girls could forgive him, like they always had in such cases where their father had mysteriously vanished into his dimly lighted lab. He took the steps up to the top floor slowly at first. He was worried about how the children would react to him. But…they were probably asleep and he took the steps quicker. Now he thought of their sweet little faces as they slept. Dreaming something pleasant and wonderful. Some sweet little sugarcoated dreamworld. He smiled at the thought and slowly cracked open the door to his girls' bedroom.  
  
There was an eerily bright glow coming from the small children's table. The Professor had to shield his eyes for a moment to block out the intensity. The light swirled and glowed around a little rock a…pebble. The Professor looked towards his girls' tri-colored bed.   
  
No one was there.  
  
Professor Utonium began to panic a bit, wondering where his sweet angels had gone. Off to save the world again? So late at night? He looked, but the window had been shut, and the roof was in tact. Whenever his children left they either made a huge hole in the ceiling or forgot to shut the window.   
  
The Professor began to get even more worried. But, maybe they were just hiding somewhere…or…or sleeping somewhere else. Would they really leave without a note? He paced a bit and headed for the door when the tiny orb on the table, changed colors.   
  
He turned to see the glowing ball change into a pinkish color. It burned brightly like a miniature version of the Aurora Borealis on his children's drawing table. The Professor picked it up carefully and stared at it. But it was as if starring into a sun. He turned away and clamped his hand over the luminous pebble. _Bubbles picks up the STRANGEST toys_. The Professor thought, although finding it hard to believe such a tiny object could generate such radiance.  
  
The Professor moved from one room to the next looking for his children. The living room, the den, his own bedroom, the dining room.  
  
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.   
  
He bit his nails nervously. He hoped they were all right. The front door was closed and locked. His girls knew better than to sleepover a friend's house on a school night. Where were they?! His mind was racing as he clutched that tiny ball in his hand. The light glowing through the flesh of his hand and only seeming dulled a bit by its skin-lampshade.   
  
The Professor, distraught, sat down suddenly on the couch in the living room. He lied his head against the back of the couch. The pebble burning in his worried hands. He tried to calm himself down.   
  
"It's all right." He spoke aloud to his shattered nerves and frazzled brain. Professor Utonium no longer felt as exhausted as he had before. He was much too worried now. "Calm down…they're probably over a friends. Or…or perhaps they've finally learned to use the window and shut it after they leave. Or maybe they went out the door." But all these reasons were of no comfort to the Professor. The only thought in his mind that made sense was: _My children are in danger!_  
  
His panicked mind brought up thousands of possibilities. Horrible things that could happen to his little darling children. Tortured by Mojo Jojo. Lying somewhere hurt and injured. Even…maybe even somewhere dying. That was going a little far, he thought. But he was too busy imagining…the horrible things that might have been happening to his children. How would he survive without them?  
  
The Professor leaned forward resting his head in his free hand that did not contain the glowing orb. He let a tear roll down his cheek. He couldn't imagine life without them. He shook his head slowly; he was letting his imagination run away with him. The Professor put on a determined expression and stood up suddenly. He would not let himself get carried away with worry! He would just take things calmly and rationally.   
  
"I just…wish I knew where they were." The Professor said aloud. The little pebble in his hand began to shake. It burned brighter till the Professor had to let it go or risk his hand scorching. He stumbled backwards as he watched the pebble start flashing violently. As if…as if it were going into some kind of overdrive. It spun quickly in mid-air casting a red light across the room, glowing and burning brighter. It was so bright the Professor thought he may have gone blind. He fell upon the couch covering his eyes. The room exploded into a bright white.  
  
The Professor grabbed onto the now invisible couch. Everything was drenched in white light. The color intensified brighter and brighter till the man thought this was no longer any shade of white…or any color he'd seen before. Something…whiter than white. He questioned if he was even seeing anymore. If he were even living anymore.  
  
Suddenly there was a voice. Soft at first, but familiar. But all the Professor could see was this new color…this more-than-white light. The voice was faint and waved. Professor Utonium thought for sure that he had died now. The air around him rippled as though he had touched the surface of still water. It ringed out over and over, bigger and bigger till there was a picture in front of him. A shaky mass of colors attempting to form a picture.  
  
It wobbled with an odd redish then yellow, then all colors and none at once! The Professor thought he'd go insane and clutched at his head. Suddenly there were shapes with the colors, restricting them and controlling them. The shapes grew more defined like giving everything a blackish lining. Like watching the world as a cartoon. Then he recognized the voice.  
  
"Is…is she dead?" The voice whispered. It was soft but high-pitched with a sweet tone to it. His little Bubbles. His eyes focused as the once all-white (or whatever color that was) world rippled away, and he was in the colors and shapes. Amongst them. Viewing all from every side. Standing atop them and within them. He then saw his sweet little girl.  
  
Bubbles, his littlest, was leaning over someone slowly shaking the person. Bubbles had her hair in those adorable pigtails except, rather than rubber bands, they were tied up with blue ribbons. She was wearing a shirt with an "S" symbol on it and jeans. _Funny…_the Professor thought _I don't remember buying her that._ Her blue eyes were transfixed on whoever was on the ground. She put her other mitt to her mouth in worry.  
  
"I am near positive that she is still amongst the living." He heard another voice say. This voice was a little deeper, not by much, with a more intellectual and almost snobby tone to it. As if someone grabbed his whole world and switched camera angels, the Professor switched whole positions now looking at Blossom. Like someone had picked him up, flipped him around and placed his eyes on his "eldest". The girls of course were all born at the same time, but Blossom acted like she was the big sister.   
  
She seemed a little dazed. And the Professor noted her voice sounded slightly different with the snobbish tone. But she looked the same. A bright, red, satin bow rested on her carrot-topped head. Her pink eyes closed slowly as if trying to collect herself. He reached out to hold her but his fingertips just brushed through her, like he was a ghost. Blossom's eyes snapped open and she looked around quickly. She was wearing a light pink top and old, ripped jeans with a shimmering golden locket hanging in front. Blossom shook off whatever she thought might've happened and looked concerned and also went to check on this mysterious person. He leaned over slightly to look at the face of this enigmatic…woman. But, suddenly he heard a third familiar voice say an unfamiliar thing.  
  
"Mommy?!" The voice cried. The voice was deeper than the other two. It seemed panicked though, which raised it a few octaves. The Professor's whole world changed again flipping him upside-down and spinning him again till he thought he'd lose his lunch. And he saw his little girl.  
  
More of the "middle child" Buttercup stood in front of him with her mitts over mouth, scared. She looked the same as well, with short, black, hair curled into a flip. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and maybe fear. She began to run towards the person on the ground, in fear for her. The Professor felt her rush right through him. Like feeling a wave wash through him. His little child slowed in her run and looked around, like she'd just touched something strange. She clutched her bare arms and shivered. As if she had ran through a gust of freezing wind.  
  
Buttercup turned back and looked toward the nothingness curiously. She saw nothing. The Professor could hardly stand it, she was standing right in front of him and he couldn't touch her. Or comfort her. Or hold her. Or thank GOD she was all right. He shook with frustration and finally he knelt down, wrapping his arms around her, and tried to hold her.  
  
Something cold and icy brushed through Buttercup and froze her inside and out. Like a bucket of ice water had been poured all over her. Then, the freezing sensation melted away. There was nothing but a tingling all over her body. Like she was being tickled but she didn't feel like laughing. And warm. The cold went away and there was warmth. A heat flowing through her that was more than just physical warmth…but emotional. Like the comfort of someone's arms. She felt as thought she was being held by…by an angel.   
  
There was a soft groan as Red stirred from her unconscious state. She looked up and Bubbles was staring directly into her face.  
  
"Hey…hey she's up!" Bubbles cried, delightedly. Bubble's face was then replaced with Blossom's big pink eyes. Red rubbed the back of her hand across her own eyes and blinked at Blossom.   
  
"Red…Red I am ever so sorry! What has happened to you? Gracious, you swooned. And we came out of this odd dream and you were on the floor! Well, thank goodness you are all right." Blossom grabbed Red's hand and smiled. "Let me help you up."  
  
Her eyes popped open in surprise and she got up quickly, stumbling to her feet and startling Blossom a bit. The pieces in her mind were scrambled all around. Bubbles. Blossom. Buttercup. Fisher? Lukan? Robins? No…none. Utonium. _Gotta find, Utonium._ Her mind cried. She recognized them finally. From a different time, a different place, and a different world. The…the PowderPuff Girls. No wait…PowerPuff. Images of standing in a crowd of screaming people staring up at a giant monster crashing a clawed hand through a building and the three of them…flying overhead with a rainbow tail. With a montage of attacks, destroying the foe and saving them all.  
  
She rubbed her head slowly. Everything still a little fuzzy. Red noticed the two children's imploring looks onto her. _Two? Where's my daughter?_. She looked to she her tiny girl standing in the room with her eyes shut and her arms floating in front of her like she was trying to hug something. There were too many weird things happening that day.   
  
The Professor held on as best as he could try. Trying so hard to keep his arms around his intangible little girl. As soon as he had, the feeling at first was cold. Freezing even. And then soft warmth that started tingling around his arms and spread through his entire body. His whole body vibrated with a sort of electricity as he held onto his precious child. The world was rippling again, around him. As if holding onto her was like placing his hands on pure energy. He didn't want to let go. He felt as though his whole world would dissipate if he broke from her.  
  
"Buttercup…what on earth are you doing?" Blossom inquired, following Red's gaze. Buttercup's eyes were closed tightly and her body was shaking. She didn't want to let go either. Whatever she was holding onto.  
  
"Come on, Buttercup. Your mommy's okay." Bubbles walked over and touched Buttercup's arm. It was like touching an ice cube. She withdrew her hand immediately. "YOW! Buttercup! You're all cold!" Bubbles noted.   
  
Red, having had too much of this weird happenings, raced over to her child and scooped her up, severing her from whatever she was holding onto.   
  
The Professor watched as an attractive young woman hurried over, and began to take his Buttercup away from him. He felt his imaginary hold slip off of her as she was pulled away. Her little mitt slipping away from his squared fingertips. _No_. He thought. The world around him shook as he watched his child get held in someone else's arms and stolen away from him. The Professor watched his other two children huddle around the woman's legs, looking up at their sister with concern. The world blurred and the shapes distorted.  
  
"GIRLS!" The Professor cried out finally, as his children were obscured by mixing colors.   
  
Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup all looked up at once. Then they looked at each other. _Funny_. Bubbles thought. _I thought I just heard someone call for us. I guess it was just my imagination_.  
  
  
  


* * * *  
  


  
  
The Professor shook his head and looked up. He was in his own living room, the dismal ticking of the clock his only company. One quick, jutty, look around later, and he found that his world was fine. He was on a comparable plane; everything was as it should have been. The couch was in it's exact spot, the TV was parked in front, every piece of furniture in tact and unmoved.. Everything was fathomable. But…his children were still gone.  
  
Professor Utonium leaned foreword, rubbing his exhausted eyes. Had he dozed off? Had that all been a dream? Every touch, every feeling, every emotion…fake? That just couldn't be! He got up quickly and felt something roll off of his palm and drop to the carpet below. He looked to the ground and had no trouble locating a tiny pebble, glowing brightly against the blue carpeting.   
  
Professor Utonium bent down carefully and picked it up. His hands shook as he touched it. The pebble glowed brighter with the Professor's shaky grip. It seemed like it was either brightening with happiness or…or with anger. But, of course, a pebble could have no emotions.   
  
The Professor remembered a story he had heard once as a child. A story about a magic orb that granted one's every wish. He rolled the radiant pebble in his palm. That was just a story though…right? That couldn't _really_ happen…could it? And the end of that story…there was a gimmick with that pebble. But he couldn't remember what it was. Something not right. But, he had a strong feeling that this pebble had somehow taken away his daughters. He was determined to get them back.  
  
Every ligament in the Professor's muscles twitched. He took in a deep breath and then spoke to the inanimate object in his hand which seemed to increase in its intensity as the words slipped through his lips.  
  
"I wish I were with my girls right now." The Professor said aloud. For some reason he didn't feel foolish. He just felt determined.   
  
The pebble shook violently in the Professor's hand. It began to grow hotter, faster than before. It burned and swirled and let out an angry hiss and it spun faster and faster in it's own little orbit. Then he remembered. He remembered what was the gimmick with that pebble. But, it was too late.   
  
The orb seemed to seethe and spit as it furiously spun. The Professor was cast into an aura of bright white…followed by darkness.   
  
  



	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Gotta find Utonium. Gotta find Utonium!" Red said aloud pacing back and forth. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup had seated themselves on the couch and watched Red Robins put on a little "worry show" for them. Blossom bit her lower lip.

"Are you all right, Red?" She asked calmly and Red practically leapt out of her shoes at the sound of her voice. Red shook visibly and sat down suddenly on the love seat.

"NO!" She cried out suddenly sounding like a lost little child. She buried her face into her hands, two thick strands of her crimson bangs falling in front. The girls looked worriedly at one another and Buttercup slid off the couch slowly. She walked over to her mother and climbed up into her lap. 

"There, there, Mommy. It's okay. I'm here now." Buttercup tried to comfort her mother. She patted her mother's leg with her mitt and looked up toward her with one big green eye and one big black eye. Bubbles and Blossom climbed up next to her also; they gave her a hug and smiled at her warmly.

"It is all right, Red, you have us." Blossom smiled cuddled up against her lovingly. 

"Don't you worry! We'll find your You-tone-ey-um guy." Bubbles assured. Red looked that them and almost cried again.

She knew it all now. She knew who they really were and she knew that she'd probably never see her baby girl again. Red watched those big green eyes look at her with such concern. Now was not the time for self-pity, what was important was getting her child to…to her real parent. Red choked back a sob and knew it was best for her baby.

"That's right…Utonium." Ms. Robins forced a small smile, brushing a hand through Bubbles's blonde hair affectionately. _These girls grow on you real fast_. Red thought to herself. "Blossom, could you please get me the phone book and the phone?" Blossom nodded and retrieved the items with a little worry. 

"Red…" Blossom began placing the phone book on the seat cushion next to Red and then struggling up onto the couch. "What…um…who I should say, is Utonium? And…precisely what is our business with him?" 

"Girls…um…do you remember anything…I don't know, odd. Anything about you girls…flying or…doing things like, like Superman?" Red stumbled feeling sort of stupid. Buttercup's head rested against her mother's chest, feeling it rise and fall slowly.

"Of course I do, Mommy." Buttercup spoke feeling her mother's heartbeat quicken. "I have dreams all the time where I'm flyin' around and beatin' up stuff. I tell 'em to you all the time." She shifted a little.

"That's weird." Bubbles stated. "I have dreams like that too! I'm flyin' and there are all these pretty clouds and I have this dream where I save this kitty out of a tree. And the kitty licked my face and was happy." Bubbles smiled thoughtfully. Blossom looked off.

"That is peculiar. I have similar dreams in which I, too, am flying around and carrying out carefully described plans. I have had this dream recently where I'm attacking a large dragon with scales as hard as diamonds…"

"And it's big and red and purple and it snaps at you with big, sharp teeth and has a long tongue?" Bubbles asked excitedly, clearly remembering her "dream" or, at least, her role in it.

"…and then when you finally think you've destroyed it, it pours boiling oil all over you and you burn from the inside out as it eats away at your insides…" Buttercup finished off recalling her part in this particular battle.

"Uh…well…that last part didn't happen for me…" Bubbles looked off for a second.

"YES!" Red cried, making the girls jump. "Yes that's exactly it! You girls were, or are, a group…a team of crime fighters." Blossom gave Red a flat look, Bubbles seemed thoroughly interested, Buttercup just let her head rest on her mother's chest again. 

"There, there Mommy…I know you've been stressed but…"

"No!" Red put a tired hand to her forehead, rushing her hand back to get rid of the hair in her eyes. "All right. Let me tell it like this." Red coughed and the children looked expectantly at her. "A long time ago there was a man named Professor Utonium." Red paused as she watched a spark of recognition flash in their eyes. "He was a scientist and lived way on the outskirts of Townsville, in a little suburb called Pokey Oaks." Another pause. "He worked a long time trying to create the 'perfect little girl'. He used the ingredients from an old rhyme: sugar," She looked at Bubbles. "spice," She turned her gaze to Buttercup, "and everything nice." Red finally looked toward Blossom. "But, he accidentally added one extra ingredient."

"Chemical X!" All three girls shouted at the same time. There was a long pause as it swept over them. Their whole bodies were incased in warmth and they're pupils faded out leaving only the iris color covering over the eye. Red noticed this new creepy look and began to panic. They all began speaking at once in a rather odd manner. Finishing each other's sentences.

"We were home and reading a book…" Blossom began reliving a certain day.

"…when the hotline rang and we fought a monster…" Buttercup continued.

"…and I found a pebble that came from the monster…" Bubbles said suddenly.

"And then we all made wishes!" The three girls yelled at the same time. Their eyes returned the pupils and the girls looked at each other, as if seeing their sisters for the first time in that life.

"Blossom…?"

"Bubbles….?"

"Buttercup…?"

The girls each said the others names and then sporadically embraced in a tight hug, babbling things to one another excitedly. Their words were overlapping one another till Red could barely tell who was speaking.

"It was awful, he was this big….and then she said 'no you can not possibly'…and I thought 'what a weird dream' but I didn't know that…saying 'that's just cause you're a freak'…horrible feeling everyone's so mean…missed flying…the Professor…" The chattering continued and Red sat of on the other side of the love seat, watching them sadly. They were, after all, in the wrong place…but how did they get there. It didn't matter…finding Professor Utonium was what was important.

* * * *

It was a while after the PPG had been speaking so excitedly, they had calmed down and were sitting on the couch facing one another and telling stories of their life's past. Red had already looked in the phone book about a million times, but it seemed as though Utonium didn't exist. She brought over a plate of warm cookies for the girls to share. 

She looked at them like she always had in that previous life, universe, whatever those memories were. It was as if she was a world away and they were separated from her like a movie star, like a plate glass window between her and them. Red knew that now they would leave and it would be like that again. Her "child" flying of and fighting things and getting hurt and the worried thought that she might even be killed. Red put her hand over her mouth closed her eyes and looked down. The right thing to do often seems so very hard.

"…and then he…he…he punched me!" Bubbles wailed and clung onto Blossom and Buttercup. "He was so mean an'…an' I hit the counter and it hurt…and it hurt…" She whimpered softly. Blossom hugged her back.

"It's okay Bubbles. You're all right now. That mean man didn't know what he was doing." Blossom comforted.

"That jerk! No one hurts a PowerPuff! You mess with one, you mess with us all!" Buttercup declared leaping to her feet. "He wants to beat up little girls, lets see him beat up me!" She challenged nobody angrily. 

"Now Buttercup, we can not just go around beating everyone up like a Neandertha-" Blossom cut herself off…she was doing that whole Lukan thing again. She shuddered and thought how much she'd like to go back to that school and beat the tar out of Herbert and everyone that laughed at her. And how much she'd love to avenge her new-found sister. "On second thought…" Blossom began. 

"But Blossom, how did we get here? And why are you all rich? And why does Buttercup live with Red? And how do I know how to tap dance?" Bubbles questioned still hugging onto her carrot-topped sibling. 

Blossom pondered a moment and then spoke.

"You guys remember when I told you that story about the magic pebble, and I told you it granted wishes right?"

"Yeah, so?" Buttercup grumbled.

"Well, after that, Bubbles found that little pebble or ball or whatever. Remember? And we all pretended that it was THE magic pebble. So I wished I was surrounded by beautiful things and I was rich and stuff."

"That's right!" Bubbles piped up. "An' I wished that everyone would love me an' I'd be a star. An'…an' I guess here, people do." 

"Uh-huh, and I AM surrounded by beautiful expensive things." Blossom commended, they looked at Buttercup.

"But Buttercup," Bubbles started, "you didn't make a wish. How come you're here and living with Red?" She questioned. Buttercup sat down on the couch and fidgeted nervously.

"I…uh…I…um…I don't…know." She looked away trying to hide her flushing cheeks. 

"Well, I think there's something more to it." Blossom stated. "Bubbles, I know you made a wish after your first wish." Bubbles blushed.

"Yeah…I wished for…a mommy." Bubbles nodded. 

"Well, you have a mommy NOW right?" The redhead asked and Bubbles nodded again. "Well…I…um…I ALSO wished I had a mother. When you two weren't in the room and…well I also have a mother now." Blossom gave a weak smile. Bubbles eyes widened.

"You TOO?!" Bubbles inquired bouncing on the couch cushion. "WOW!! But…but why is your mommy so mean?" Bubbles asked.

"I don't know." Blossom answered looking down sadly. Buttercup shifted again.

"Uh…um…I…uh…kinda also…wished for…uh…the same thing you guys…uh…wished for…too." Buttercup stammered looking off. Her blonde-haired sister gave her a cockeyed look. 

"YOU wanted a mommy TOO?!" Bubbles looked confused. Buttercup was still looking away.

"Well," Blossom tried to take the unwanted attention off of Buttercup, "that explains why she's with Red. But why is it that when we wished for mothers…ours came out different?" Blossom tried to place it as politely as possible.

"I think this will ALL be solved when we get a hold of Professor Utonium." Red cried exasperated after flipping furiously through a few pages of the phone book.

"Well, here, let me look." Bubbles offered. Red sighed and shrugged.

"All right…but I've tried one million times alread-"

"Found it!" Bubbles interrupted. Ms. Robins looked surprisingly at to where Bubbles's mitt was pointing. Right between "Utility" and "Utz" sat the name "Utonium, P." Red stared, her jaw ajar. She must've been over that page one billion times staring between those two names. Bubbles smiled proudly and Red shrugged. Although it seemed to have just appeared there at that moment.

* * * *

He opened his eyes slowly, his head pounding rhythmically. He pressed his hand against the soft carpet pushing himself from the ground and scanning the room with his weak eyes. He gasped at what he found.

Professor Utonium looked around his house. His normal house that he had bought in the suburbs of Pokey Oaks. But…but it seemed different. All the furniture was arranged the way it had been back when he was a bachelor living in a large and lonely house. His old, worn-in, easy chair sat on the edge of the room facing a blank television. The Professor stared at a picture on his wall where he vaguely remembered a picture of someone but if there had been it was replaced with a picture of abstract art (which was a type of artistry he'd always been fond of). He even saw an old miniature statue of Michelangelo's David. The Professor seemed to recall that he had gotten rid of that.

He looked around at all the things that remained from his years when he had first moved to Pokey Oaks. The Professor found everything "as it should've been" to him. But, he slightly remembered something else. His eyes landed on papers that littered the top of his glass end table. All of his scientific research on the combinations to create bio-creations. He found his kitchen a mess; dirty dishes piled up in the sink with the top plate slightly slipping off the stack. It was only sticking on by the crusty remittance of last night…or last weeks dinner.

Everything around him was a picture of his past…or his present. He wasn't really quite sure. Images of different surroundings floated around in his mind. The couch used to be there, that picture was supposed to be different, that statue he should have thrown away. But why? Why, why, why, why, why?! Why did his mind tell him that this whole setting, this whole place was wrong. There never seemed to be anything else. But something itched in his mind that he was put there for a reason. Professor Utonium was becoming VERY confused.

He shook his head at it and then raced up the steps in bounds. He reached the top of the stairs with a thunk beneath his black shoes. He flung open the door to the first room on the left (the "girl's" room) to find his old disheveled library staring at him. Bookshelves lined the walls menacingly; the only light was the shades of the setting sun through the three circular window. It cast pools of redish gold on the floor. The Professor lets out a deep sigh listening to the quiet of the sunset. 

Professor Utonium sat on the floor suddenly, trying to take it all in, when the phone rang. A steady ring that echoed off of the stairwell. The Professor cocked an eyebrow and walked to the incessant ring. It took him a good couple of minutes to locate the phone beneath a pile of research on micro-organisms. He lifted up the receiver and put it to his ear shakily. 

"H…Hello?" He questioned. Who on earth could have been calling him?

"Hello? Is this Mr. Utonium?" A sweet voice asked almost coyly from the other end. The Professor raised his eyebrow again. 

"Yes, this is Professor Utonium. How can I help you?" He asked sitting down in the chair next to the phone. He had to get back up and throw a few books off of the squeaky seat but then he resumed sitting. The sweet voice coughed once and then spoke.

"Um…yes. My name is Banka Robins and I-" She was cut off by the voices of three children.

"Banka?!" Three voices cried in unison from the other side of the line.

"You're real first name is Bank-a?" 

"Yes, now girls please be quiet." The voice returned to speak to the Professor. "Anyway, my name is Banka Robins and I think that…well gee, how do I put this…I think I have something that belongs to you." She stuttered almost helplessly. The Professor took in a deep breath.

He had heard those voices once before. But where? His mind was a blur and his head began to resume pounding. Why was it becoming so hard to think?

"Y…yes?" The Professor managed out. He could hardly think. "Listen…what…whatever it is could you bring it over in the morning? I really can't talk right now" As if on cue, his headache intensify till he practically felt his skull would shatter. There was a deep breath and then:

"Yes…" She trailed off. "Anyway…I'll bring them over at 8:00. Okay?" Red questioned. She so badly didn't want to part from them just yet, and it was growing so late anyway.

"…all right." Professor Utonium finally got out, rubbing his throbbing temples slowly. _Did she say them? Ugh…it's going to have to wait. _ He sighed. 

"I'll bring them over at eight. And please, don't worry. They're in good hands." Red encouraged. 

"Uh-huh." Professor Utonium hung up the phone, rather rudely, without a goodbye. He needed to lie down with a couple of aspirin and figure out what was wrong with everything. Whatever that woman had to bring over could wait till tomorrow


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Okay, girls. Goodnight." Red smiled, a mere silhouette from the doorframe of her daughter's bedroom. 

"Goodnight." Chorused the three small girls tucked in Buttercup's tiny bed. They snuggled close to one another as the door shut ceasing all light from entering. Bubbles whimpered slightly and Red poked her head in. Bubbles looked sheepishly at her and Red smiled. She left the door a crack open and the sounds of her bare feet against the carpet could be heard as she walked away.

"Blossom?" Bubbles questioned turning slightly toward her sister. Blossom was comfortably staring at the ceiling, as she laid on the right side of the bed.

"What is it Bubbles?" 

"Do you think that we'll ever see these people again? I mean, I wanted a mommy so badly and now that I got one, I'm just gonna leave her. And she's not so bad, and just cause my Daddy's kinda mean shouldn't mean she should suffer." Bubbles turned to look at the white ceiling, "Besides…I think Daddy really does care about me sometimes. I feel bad leaving them."

Blossom fidgeted uncomfortably. She thought to her own mother. And also thought back to the conversation she'd had on the telephone about "sleeping over a plebeian's." 

It was just after Red had called up that Utonium man on the telephone that Blossom remembered something. Her mother and her Nana would be worried SICK about where she was. And Red had mentioned that she wanted them to stay with her so she could take them over in the morning. Blossom asked to call her mother.

"All right." Ms. Robins had said, "But she may be a little reluctant considering it's a school night. But still, tell her gently. I don't think she'll understand as well if you tell her you're from a different…world." Blossom nodded in understanding. 

She picked up the phone and dialed the extended number of the Lukan residence. There was a long slow and steady ring that made her want to bite her nails…of course that would've been impossible. Suddenly, James picked up.

"Lukan Estates." James dull voice sounded through the phone. Blossom paused a moment and then purposefully spoke in her snotty tone.

"James, please put Mother on the phone." 

"Little Miss!" James cried excitedly. He took a quick look around and then put a hand in front of the receiver and his mouth. "Little Miss, madam is most distressed about you. She's frantic with worry and has sent Nana and the police force to find you. She is offering a $500,000 reward for your return."

"$500,000!" Blossom had cried. Red's head snapped towards Blossom. She calmed herself and returned to James on the phone. The redhead spoke very softly, "James…is mother…angry?"

There was a pause.

Blossom clutched the receiver a little tighter. 

"You better hurry home Little Miss." James said tightly. Blossom's heart sank. It wasn't like her mother would hurt her. Not physically anyway. But if Blossom had to hear how much of a freak she was or how she could never be as good as her mother or anyone else…she sighed.

"James, I can't. Tell Mother I'm fine. I'm sleeping over a friend's tonight. I'm safe. Just tell her that." Blossom said quickly.

"But Little Mis-"

Blossom hung up the phone abruptly. Her conversation now decidedly ended. She let out a deep breath. She'd never defied her mother so much in one day. Blossom knew then that that woman was never her mother in any way. Somehow though, if Red's…"theory" was correct, that they all WERE from a different world and had to be sent back, she'd never see her mother again. And…part of her WOULD miss her.

Blossom shook her head from the memory. She looked towards Bubbles. Her blue eyes showed brightly in the darkness. 

"Won't you miss them too, Blossom?" She whispered, her voice barely a breath. Blossom smiled slightly.

"I will miss my Nana. I'll miss my mother too…a bit." She turned to face the bleak ceiling, shifting under the covers. "I'll miss my mornings before school. My mother brushing my hair and styling it. The way she worked so…so passionately. She cared so much about it. It was our time together." Blossom wiped away a small tear. "I…I'll miss that."

Bubbles shifted to look at the ceiling too. 

"I know what you mean. They weren't so bad. Mommy let me stay here after all." Bubbles choked back a few tears remembering her own conversation with her mother.

Bubbles picked up the telephone and Red dialed her home phone for Bubbles. Eight long rings passed before someone picked up. Even then there was a long silence.

"H….hello?" Bubbles sheepishly asked.

"B…Bubbles?" A horse voice whispered into the phone.

"Mommy?" Bubbles questioned back. She could hear sobbing on the phone.

"Bubbles! Bubbles honey are you okay?" Nancy asked whispering into the phone, her eyes full of painful tears. She brushed a hand through her messy brown hair sobbing and grabbing the phone.

"I'm fine Mommy…are you oka-"

"Bubbles! You can't…you can't come home tonight, Honey. You can't." Nancy was crying and her voice was a whisper. "Your father he…he…he's angrier than…than…I…you have to stay where you are. I'll try to calm him down. I'll try….I'll try oh God I'll…" Mrs. Fisher was sniffling her body in pure pain. She felt her cheek, a bruise forming the size of his fist. Her husband's. Bubbles and her would match now. "I don't want you coming home tonight, Bubbles." Nancy mumbled. "I can calm him…I just don't want you to be hurt any-"

"NANCY!" A voice screamed through the air. A string of swears followed. Nancy turned back to the phone shaking furiously.

"I have to go. I'll call you later." Nancy whispered quickly.

"Mom-" Bubbles cried but the phone was disconnected harshly, not before Bubbles heard a strike. 

Bubbles began to cry, her tears sliding from her eyes onto the pillow. She whimpered softly putting her mitts to her face and crying sadly. Blossom wrapped an arm around her.

"It's all right Bubbles! We…we don't HAVE to go." Blossom said quickly. Bubbles paused a moment whimpering in the darkness.

"The…the Professor…oh but Blossom I can't leave my mommy!" She turned toward the more confident girl and wept into her. Blossom sighed stroking Bubbles hair.

"It's a decision we have to make, Bubbles. The three of us." Blossom looked past Bubbles to her brunette sister. "Buttercup, what do you think?" 

There was silence.

"Buttercup?" Blossom asked again. There was more silence. Bubbles turned and leaned over her dark-haired sibling. 

Buttercup's eyes were shut slightly and her breathing was gentle and regulated. Her features were softened in the moonlight as she breathed and dreamed. Bubbles wiped her tears away hoping they wouldn't fall on her sleeping sister. Bubbles turned back to Blossom.

"She's asleep." Bubbles smiled slightly.

"How rude! We're supposed to be making this decision together. And…and she's sleeping!" Blossom seemed slightly perturbed.

"We should all go to sleep anyway." Bubbles leaned over and gave Buttercup a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Buttercup." She whispered. Buttercup gave no response.

"You're right Bubbles. Let's sleep on it." Blossom turned away and cuddled up. "Goodnight, Bubbles." She said pulling the sheets up on her. She felt Bubbles lean over her and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight Blossom." Bubbles lied back down and Blossom smiled. "Blossom?" Bubbles asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we're sisters." Bubbles smiled. Blossom shut her eyes lightly and smiled.

"Me too."

The two sisters cuddled up in the bed and suddenly felt better about everything. No matter what road they chose they'd have each other. But in the darkness, one set of eyes opened, waiting for them to fall asleep. 

* * * *

Many a tear had fallen that night, soaking the pillows. Not only by the young little girls who had laid awake in their bed, but by Red Robins who had been sobbing into her hands since the girls went to bed. Her hair was sloppily displayed around her face, which was buried into her palms. Her face was red as she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a few more tears out. Her head pounded and she doubted she could cry anymore.

She had her knees pulled up against her chest, the night feeling hot with the sheets crumpled around her feet and spilling off of the side of the small bed. Red had been crying for so long she felt all cried out. All she had left were dry sobs that were almost like whispers. She took her hands away from her face and hugged her knees closer, feeling childish. Red looked out of the window towards the moon, wondering exactly how she could give up her only child and still remain a whole person.

Red closed her eyes and began her memories. Way back five years ago when she was a lonely woman living in a small apartment without even a cat to call her own. The days went in and out slowly. Most of time she spent working at the bank until late hours in the night even on holidays. What was the point of going home to that big empty house and those rotting TV dinners in the freezer? Life seemed almost pointless to Red. A lot of the time. 

But, one day while she was cleaning out her house she heard a sound. Red was taking out the trash and was walking down the hall when she saw a little wicker basket outside of Mr. Grunther's front door. She would've left it alone except that it looked like a bassinet with a green blanket, and something was crying inside of it. She put down the garbage and noticed a crinkled white note pin callously to the top of the basket. It was a letter from a poor mother abandoning her child on the doorstep. In the middle of reading it, she felt a tug at her skirt. Red looked down and saw a pair of large green eyes staring at her. They were reddened and teary as the child wailed. She reached down and picked her up. The little child squirmed failing her little arms sadly. The child was odd missing fingers and toes and ears and a bellybutton as well as a nose. Red began to wonder what had happened to her when the little green eyed girl giggled and tugged on Red's hair. She melted. She looked over the note again to find a name, but there was only one name in there. Buttercup. 

Red took care of her. She remembered teaching her everything she knew about. About the world and the trees, manners, reading. She took her to the park, baked cookies with her, brought her to town, went swimming at Bonsai Garden Park. Red had one very fond memory. It was late at night and the thunder crashed outside loudly. The power had gone out and Red was holding her little candle high, her only light in the darkness. Lighting flashed outside as Red walked over and peered in on her tiny four-year-old. She saw her little Buttercup with the blanket over her head, staring outside. A flash of lightning and a roar of thunder boomed. Buttercup pulled the covers over her head further. Red smiled and walked in.

"Hey," She whispered and Buttercup jumped.

"Hi Mommy." Buttercup peeked up from beneath the soft covers. 

"Are you scared, Sweet Heart?" Red placed the candle on the dresser next to Buttercup's bed. Buttercup shook her head when another crash seemed to shake the whole house. Buttercup clung to her mother and nodded vigorously. Red smiled and sat Buttercup on her lap as the girl sniffled. "It's okay, Honey. Thunder can't hurt you. It's just a loud noise." She commented rocking her gently.

"I don't like it." Buttercup commented softly. Red rocked her softly and whispered.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I'm a little scared too. Why don't you and I stay together tonight?" Red smiled. Buttercup hugged her and smiled back. Red rocked her softly as the rain poured down outside in sheets and the thunder boomed. The light from the candle was dim but enough and Red slowly began to sing. "You are my sun-shine, my only sun-shine. You make me hap-py when skies are gray…" She sang as Buttercup drifted off to sleep. Red beamed.

But that was then. Back when it seemed that nothing in the world would ever change for the two of them. Red took in a ragged breath and let out another dry sob. She didn't want to give up her baby! The Professor could never lover her as much as she loved her…right? It didn't matter though. She had to consider it as if one day Buttercup had just disappeared. What would she rather have, her daughter returned to her, or to never ever return because somebody loved her "more". Red wept again. God, she was going to miss her, and them. Blossom and Bubbles. She'd never see them again either. They were so innocent and sweet. Their lives seemed like some kind of Reader's Digest article. One without a caring mother and the other with an abusive father. If there was only something more she could do for them. If she could, she would've adopted them too. Just to save them from those people. But at least they…they would be back with the Professor. Back with someone who truly loved them. It wasn't fair that they had to have those memories though. If she were their mother she would've done things different. But that just wasn't the way fate had dealt the cards.

"Mommy?" A voice whispered sadly from the doorway. Red looked over to see her daughter standing there in bare feet on the cold floor. Her long white nightgown glanced over the top of the floor. She rubbed her one good eye with her mitt. The other one still hurt from the baseball that afternoon. She stood waiting for a response.

"Oh, Honey." She wiped the dried tears away quickly; hoping her daughter wouldn't see them in the darkness. "What's wrong, what are you doing here?" Red got out of bed and scooped Buttercup up in her arms. She cradled her gently and at first Buttercup struggled, she didn't want to be treated like a baby, then she relaxed.

"I'm confused, Mommy. Red?" Buttercup was unsure of what to call her now. Red's heart stung. 

"Just…call me 'Mommy' for now." Red forced a smile. "Why are you confused?" 

"I keep having these memories that…that confuse me. I remember losing my first tooth and on that same day, I remember fighting a girl named 'Princess'. I remember the day you and I went apple picking and also I was kicking Mojo Jojo in the face. And…and I remember the night I couldn't go to sleep cause I had this…bad dream and you came in and started to sing to me, and you said 'It's okay, I'm here now'. Then…you carried me off to your bed…and…we went to sleep…" Buttercup said softly. She remembered wanting that. She remembered wanting to have somebody to take care of her when she was afraid. But…but she still missed her Professor. She missed his laugh and his hugs and his advice. Buttercup just missed him so much now. She wanted them both. "Mommy!" Buttercup cried suddenly making Red jump. "Be our Mommy. Come back with us and be our Mommy. You can take care of me, and Blossom, and Bubbles. I don't want to be there without you, or here without the Professor and my sisters."

"If only things were that easy, Honey." Red whispered cradling her child. "You three…you all…come from a different place. Not just a different house, but a different world. If I went there…I could mess up the space-time continuum, or something." Buttercup looked sadly up at her and Red sat down on the bed with Buttercup in her lap, stroking her hair gently. "It's not like I don't want to be with you three, but things would never work out. I could mess things up and the Professor might feel I've replaced him or I'm trying to. I…let's not talk about this tonight honey. Let's get some sleep for tomorrow."

"But, I'm never going to see you again." Buttercup whispered. Red tilted her own head back to keep new tears from rolling out. 

"Sure you will, Baby. Now lets get some sleep, okay?" Red asked and Buttercup just nodded. Red rocked her back and forth and softly sang the same song she sang to her as a baby. "You are my sun-shine, my only sun-shine. You make me hap-py when skies are gray. You know I love you, my only sun-shine. Oh please don't take…my sunshine…away." Red almost choked on the last part of the song. So she continued the song, humming until the last part again. "Oh please don't take my…sunshine away." She looked down and Buttercup was asleep. That song always made her sleepy. Red cuddled up with her and made sure the covers were up high and warm on the five-year-old. "Goodnight, Honey. I…I will miss you." Red shut her eyes tight and then turned away. "I'll miss you so much." 


	16. Chapter 15

(Sorry this is slow. I was on vacation for a week and couldn't type at all! This is the chapter where I answer the questions. The why's and the how's. Anything that I don't answer will either be explained in later chapters or in the epilogue or whatever I'm going to call the extreme last chapter. Enjoy.) 

Chapter 15

The doorbell let of a light chime before the Professor could open the door. The front door opened with an annoying squeak and he found himself face to face with a strikingly beautiful redhead. Two strands of crimson hair fell in front of her eyes as the rest was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked rather shy, but her beautiful bright green eyes shown alluringly. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a light green tee. The Professor found himself unable to speak clearly, blinking several times. 

"I...I…I…I…" He stuttered as the woman gave him a strange look.

"Um…hello, Mr. Utonium?" Red asked stroking her fingers through her red hair nervously. He was a lot handsomer then she thought he'd be. Another string of "I…I…I"'s followed Red's question. But she assumed it was him anyway. "Mr. Utonium, my name's Banka Robins. We spoke on the phone last night." She smiled politely. 

The Professor found it hard to respond and she seemed very worried. Suddenly, he heard some giggling; he looked down and saw three little girls laughing. One was a little blonde in pigtails who was putting her hands over her mouth giggling. The other was a redhead with long hair in a ponytail who hand one hand over her mouth politely stifling a laugh; and the last one was a brunette with short hair who had a hand on her stomach while laughing hard. His first thoughts were _Darn it! She's got kids._

But, when the Professor looked at them again, something inside him clicked. Their sweet innocent faces looked up at him and he saw them more than just three little children, but as his own. His own three little girls. Professor Utonium's head stung, his heart raced, but his eyes remained fixated on them, and theirs on him. 

"Oh here we go." Red sighed as she watched the recognition happen again. The recognition and the realization as the Professor discovered that these girls were his darling children. She could almost mouth what they said.

"Girls?"

"Professor?"

The brief conversation ended in an unanimous scream of joy and a hug. All three tiny girls squeezed into the Professor's loving embrace. The girls' minds swam with memories and realizations. The talking all began at once like it had back at Red's apartment. Red grinned softly. They did look happy. The family began to head into the house and Red slowly followed suit, her presence barely recognized. 

The house was semi-clean. The surfaces and the floors were cleared off, but it was in need of some careful scrubbing under and in some particular places. The abstract art on the walls only confused Red as she noted the old, beat-up, reclining chair the Professor had in the corner. _Yep_ She thought, _there's no doubt about it, this man is definitely a bachelor. _ She considered seeing how comfortable that chair was when she felt a tight hug practically lift her off the floor.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" The Professor cried hugging her tightly. "Thank you for bringing my girls back to me!" He flipped her around to face him. Red's eyes were wide with surprise and almost fear. The Professor wasn't a very strong man, but his happiness seemed to overwhelm the logic. "How can I ever repay you?" He asked.

"Uh…by putting me down?" She asked. 

"Oh yes, of course." He put her down on the ground. The girls were giggling behind them. The Professor turned back to them spouting all sorts of comments like "I missed you girls so much", and "I'm never letting you girls out of my sight again", and other worried/relived parent babble. Red decided to step in for a moment though.

"Um…Professor?" She questioned. He didn't seem to hear her at first. "Professor…?" Red asked again. He seemed too distracted. "PROFESSOR!" She yelled. He turned around suddenly and she smiled sweetly. "Yes, um…Professor, I think that there's something else going on here…" Before Red could finish the Professor nodded.

"Yes, Banka. I think I see where you're coming from." He stood up seriously and the PowerPuff Girls stared at him affectionately. "Everybody, follow me down to my lab." Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. They then followed the Professor down the gloomy steps to his laboratory. 

The lab was filled with bigger better equipment than it had ever been. Large machines littered the floor of the lab humming and beeping in a sort of mechanical ruckus. Every machine bigger and more sleek as they went on. It appeared that since the Professor did not have to feed and clothe three little girls, his income gave him enough to afford all the necessities for a more advanced lab. Plus the fact that he didn't have to repair numerous holes in the roof did help.

The lab seemed better kept than the rest of the house. Everything was labeled and in neat, secure containers. The pipe cleaners were kept in a drawer marked "Pipe Cleaners Drawer". The mortars were safely stowed in a drawer labeled, "Mortars Drawer". Even the goggles were placed securely in a drawer named, "Eyewear Protection Containment Unit". There was a place for everything and everything in its place. A great contrast to the living quarters upstairs.

Bubbles ran a hand over the tiled floor and studied her mitt carefully.

"Wow! It's so clean! Not even any dirt on my hand!" She showed Blossom. Blossom nodded and looked around.

"Not even a scuff mark. Wow, Professor, you really keep this place clean!" Blossom awed. The Professor smiled proudly and seemed to grow a bit taller. 

"Yeah, too bad the upstairs is such a mess." Buttercup noted while poking a beaker with her mitt. The Professor hunched down a bit and gave a flat look.

"Yes well...now getting back to the fact of how this all happened. You see, I have a theory that it has something to do with the story of the magic pebble. You see--"

"STORY TIME!" Bubbles screamed excitedly and sat Indian style on the floor. Blossom eagerly sat down and looked up. Buttercup stopped poking different beakers (for different sounds) and joined her sisters on the floor. They all gave him very wide grins and squirmed in anticipation.

"Ah...well...um...you see, girls. Back before I came here, I remember looking for you girls. I was so worried, I...I didn't know what to do. Well, Bubbles, I found this...this little marble or ball thing on your drawing table and took it with me. I ended up making a wish on it and--"

"Your wish came true!" Bubbles cried.

"Yes, my wish was to know where you girls were. And suddenly, just then, it showed me. Quite oddly actually, it was fascinating."

"Yes well, this is all very interesting, Professor, but what does it have to do with what we're doing here?" Blossom inquired.

"Well, honey, I'm getting to that. You see I have reason to believe that us being here has to do with the legend of the magic pebble. One makes a wish and the first wish comes true just as you like it. But, the second one-"

"Blah, blah, blah." Buttercup boredly rolled her eyes, "I've heard this one before."

"No wait, Buttercup. I think there's a part of this we have to hear. Remember when I was reading you the story and before we finished we decided to do something else? Well, I think that part may be important to our situation." Blossom reasoned she looked back at the Professor. "Right?"

"Well, yes. See the second wish someone makes is…how do I put this? The wish comes true but wrong." The Professor finished.

"Wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Wrong? What do you mean by wrong?" Blossom asked.

"The pebble's magic is based on pure wishing…or so the story says. That man in the beginning, the one that was deep in debt. When he wished on the pebble the first time he got all the money he needed to get out of debt. Well, the man became greedy, and he wished again for more money." The Professor paused, "When he got his money he began to spend it like water. But, the money was counterfeit and he…um…was severely punished." The Professor didn't want to mention the poor man's hands getting chopped off, not to Bubbles anyway. "The other one that wished to be a king, he got his first wish exactly like he wanted. But, he made a second wish for a beautiful wife to rule by his side. While he got his wife, she was not the sweet woman he had expected and eventually murdered him and over took the kingdom." 

"What a bad lady." Bubbles frowned sadly.

"Wait, so I get it. It's based sort of on greed. I made a wish to have all this money, and it came true perfectly." Blossom felt a sting of regret for such a greedy wish. She thought it wouldn't count! But what was done was done, she continued, "But when I wished for…" Blossom trailed off a bit looking at the Professor. She didn't want him to know she had wished for a mother. It might've hurt him. "Er…I mean…when I made my second wish, it came out kind of…wrong."

"Yeah, me too!" Said Bubbles excitedly. "So that's why she's not like I pictured her." Bubbles thought out loud. She also felt guilty for her selfish wish. If only she had just wished for a mother right in front of them. It wouldn't have mattered; they were all sisters anyway. Why did she always have to prove she wasn't just some little baby?

"Who's not like you pictured who?" The Professor questioned.

"Uh…no one." Bubbles gave a weak smile.

"It makes sense. Buttercup, you only made one wish and it came out perfectly. Did you make a second wish?" Blossom questioned. Buttercup's cheeks turned a little red but she looked away quickly. 

"No, that was the…only one." She muttered. 

"I understand Professor." Red began. She was also sitting on the floor cross-legged. She looked at him seriously, "I've read the story too but none of them were ever transported to a different universe. From what I read, they remained where they were. But, I'm certain the girls are in a different…world." Her eyes met the Professor's for a moment. There was a silence between the two as a light blush spread across Red face. The Professor couldn't seem to say a word.

The girls looked between the two and Blossom and Bubbles began to giggle. Buttercup's eyes narrowed angrily and she clung to Red quickly attracting her attention. Buttercup was used to trying to hold onto her mother. She didn't want to share. Red cleared her throat and began again.

"Um, yes, well, this just seems to be so different for them. I've raised Buttercup since she was a baby, yet, I also remember you being her sole creator, and she was born as a five-year-old. It doesn't make sense." Red finished rubbing Buttercup's back lightly. The Professor chewed on the end of his ebony pipe in thought. The young woman's theory had its valid points, but the Professor was having a hard time of piecing it together.

"Maybe we went back in time too." Bubbles suggested. Everyone stared at her. She grabbed her feet nervously and looked from one face to the next. "You know, cause we all were babies and stuff." 

"That's it! I've got it!" The Professor yelled. Everyone leapt up a little. "It all makes sense now." The Professor dashed off leaving the four females confused and then he returned with a white board. "Okay, see if you can follow me." The Professor coughed and then began. "You see, I believe that the legend of this pebble is true, and that actually the pebble was granting you girls' wishes. Blossom, you and Bubbles made two, and Buttercup made one, correct?" Blossom was barely able to nod before the Professor happily continued. "Well, according to the legends, the pebble only had to grant one wish at a time. But you girls made five wishes on it in one night, sending it into a sort of overdrive. So much so it could not grant all of your wishes and remain in the same…same universe!" The Professor threw his hands toward the ceiling in emphasis. The girls all looked up while Red stared straight at the white board. Professor Utonium had all ready (very sloppily) doodled a pebble and three stick-figured PPG as well as the number five.

"Professor," Red began, "in the legends the pebble is supposed to grant a wish _overnight._ But, you said that the pebble showed you the girls after you made the wish. How is that possible?"

"Glad you asked Red." He smiled; Red suddenly felt back in high school. "You see, the pebble was processing the five wishes and wasn't able to fit mine into the same…same mold as the others. To 'lighten its workload', it granted my wish immediately. Now, going back to the subject of the girls, since the pebble had never delt with five wishes before at a time, it spread a great deal of it's power into creating a new universe, or sending the girls to an existing universe, in which the girls would reside in. But it couldn't leave it at that." The Professor had a slightly crazy tone to his voice and the girls huddled around Red. "It couldn't simply transport you girls to a new world. It had to create something more." The Professor drew on the board one long black line. Then he broke the line into two parts creating a "y". The right side of the "y" being notably shorter than the other side. "You see, the pebble split the time lines in two. The normal time line," He circled the left side, "continuing on as usual. But you girls were transported not only into this new time line," He circled the shorter right side of the "y", "but back in the timeline." The Professor jerked the black felt-tipped marker back. The shorter part of the timeline moved backward. The figure looked almost like a very jutty lowercase "h". The girls looked at it.

"But why Professor? Why would we go back in time?" Buttercup questioned.

"I suppose because…because." The Professor was drawing a blank. "I guess because of whatever it was you wished for." The Professor looked at them. "What did you wish for?" The girls grew silent.

"We wished for…a…a mother." Blossom whispered sadly. "It's not like we don't love you Professor it's just sometimes you're trapped in that lab for days and days and we get kind of lonely and it really is a stupid wish but we were just kind of down because it was Mother's Day and no one was a round to celebrate it and we ruined dinner and we didn't mean to and it's not that we don't love you." Blossom ran on trying not to make him feel bad. The Professor seemed unfazed.

"So…did you all wish for this?" He interrupted. They nodded.

"Blossom and me wished for it second and Buttercup wished for it first." Bubbles coyly added.

"That settles it then." The Professor stated with less enthusiasm, "The pebble corresponded with you two girl's second wish, but mostly with Buttercup's first. Her ideals for a mother were brought through to create this world where they could both exist in sync with each other. In other words, the pebble had to make everything connect with that wish, and brought it together as such."

"Um…what?" Bubbles inquired. Everyone nodded. The Professor sighed.

"You girls all wished for a mother…right?" The girls nodded. "Well, if you had all wished for a mother as your second wish, you would've all remained in this world because you all, essentially, would be asking for the same mother. But since two of you asked for it second and one first, the pebble had to create separate individual mothers for the individual wishes. That's why you all had separate mothers. And if you all had separate mothers, you couldn't be raised as sisters, right?" They nodded again. "And that means one could have riches and the other couldn't and so on. So, the pebble created a new world in which you girls were never sisters. In which you were born as individual children." He let out a deep breath. "Understand now?"

"But that still raises other questions Professor." Blossom stated. "Like, how come we were found on a doorstep and not born like normal children?" Red gave off a little snort. 

"Sorry, but child birth with heads that large would be more painful than anything else I can possibly imagine. Maybe the pebble was just being merciful." Red shrugged.

"Okay, then why do we remember everything from our past…life now?" Blossom asked, feeling weird to say "past life".

"Yeah!" Bubbles piped up. "Why do I remember bein' a tiny baby when I never was one? And how come I also remember bein' sisters with my…uh sisters when we never were?"

"Well, if my other theory is correct girls, then you are going back up through time." He made a little "up" arrow next to the right side of the "y". "That means that you girls are overlapping on the day you were sent back. So, your consciences are remembering what they remembered on the day you were transported. You girls are recalling the memories you used to have because, well you always had those memories as well as your powers, they were just stored away, and today is possibly the only day you can cross back over into your original world." All three little girls gasped at the statement.

"But why?" Bubbles had her mitts to her mouth in fear.

"See how the figure looks kind of like a jutty 'h' or like a 'k' missing the top part? Well, today we are on the bridge of where the world's meet. The…middle part of the 'h'. If we were to go back to our own reality now, we would arrive perhaps at the exact second you girls left, or actually, when I left. It would be like sliding down that little bridge, sliding through time, into our appropriate places. But, if we don't do it today, this timeline will continue to go forward making this whole thing look more like a capital 'h' and we will be trapped in this reality for the rest of our lives." The Professor raised the last few words for more emphasis. 

"Oh no! Then we better get going now." Blossom got up. "Uh-oh…well first Professor, I'd like to wish my family a good-bye. I don't want to just leave without saying anything." Blossom said responsibly. 

"Me too! I gotta help my Mommy before I go." Bubbles clasped her hands to her chest. "I just gotta." 

"All the better girls. I still have yet to test the equipment in this lab. I do have something here that I was working on in the past universe: A Transdimentional Time Reverser. It should be able to send us back through time and into the right dimension, but I have yet to test it." The Professor chewed the end of his pipe in thought.

"What do you mean?" Buttercup spoke softly, kind of monotone. It was the first thing she had said in a while.

"Well, I mean, this equipment is all very new to me and I-" The Professor was cut off.

"NO!" Buttercup yelled and turned her eyes toward her "mother". "What do you mean it 'would be more painful then you can possibly imagine'? What do…do you mean?" Buttercup's eyes looked angry and hurt. Red put a hand over her mouth. "You…you never had me did you? You found me on the doorstep just like Bubbles and Blossom." Her breaths seemed that of a distressed child. Being five-years-old and the most important person in her life had been lying to her; it practically had destroyed her. Red tried to speak but Buttercup wouldn't let her. "You lied to me! You lied to me my whole life!"

"No, Buttercup honey I just didn't want-" Red tried to put a comforting hand on Buttercup's arm but she knocked it away.

"YOU'RE A LIAR!" She angrily screamed, hiding back tears. Buttercup's big green eyes looked more hurt now. "You're a liar and I…I hate you!" Buttercup screamed. She was too emotional to care and turned away from her mother, choking back her tears. "I wanna go home now, Professor." 

There was a long silence in the room and Red tried to take in a deep breath. Bubbles looked like she was about to cry and Blossom seemed a little stunned. The Professor coughed lightly.

"Um…well…you girls should probably say good-bye to the people you care for. Unless…you wanna stay." He stated briefly.

"Oh God no." Blossom said shaking out of her trance before she thought. Then she blushed. "Sorry Professor, I just miss you and really don't like this place."

"Buttercup are you oka-" Bubbles began

"Just go save your mother. Say your good-byes." Buttercup was turned away. 

"Come on Bubbles, lets just go." Blossom grabbed Bubbles's arm. "You sure you'll be okay, Buttercup?"

"Fine." She said acidly. The two sisters looked at each other and then to the Professor. He nodded toward them and they began to fly off.

"Wait! Don't crash through the-" Before he could finish, pieces of plasters fell on his head from the ceiling. "-roof." He sighed. _ I hope they hurry. _Professor Utonium thought looking at the giant ragged hole they'd left in his ceiling, _If they don't not only could be trapped in this world, but this universe may collapse! Or even our own. _ He looked hopefully to the sky. _God speed, girls. Hurry._


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Bubbles and Blossom flew along side one another in silence. They were a little reluctant to fly at first, gravity used to have such a hold on them. But as soon as they crashed through the ceiling, old habits kicked in as well as some slight childish elation of completing one of man's dreams. The wind rushed past them as they experienced flying again. The wind through their hair felt wonderful and Bubbles flew up a bit and made a loop-dee-loop threw a puffy white cloud. Blossom laughed lightly. Bubbles gave a happy smile back.

"I really missed flying. All the pretty clouds and lookin' at all the little people on the ground." Bubbles pointed a rounded hand at the cars and buildings that littered the ground almost like a little micro-world. "It's sooooo peaceful up here." Bubbles sighed happily staring into the eternal blue that stretched out in front of her.

"Yeah." Blossom commented almost sadly. "I sure hope Red and Buttercup make up. It was pretty harsh back there." Blossom commented as the houses began to space out below them and the girls entered a "higher class" territory. The lawns were the most verdant mapping out uniformly the territory where one mansion's property ceased and another began. 

"Hey Blossom, do you think Red could be our Mommy?" Bubbles asked as they passed over a large stony mansion. 

"I don't know Bubbles. I think she's supposed to be in this world." Blossom paused in her flight. "But it sure would be nice." 

"Yeah." Bubbles smiled. The two kindergartners were floating high above a luxurious mansion. A beautiful, well-kept grass lawn spread out in front almost like an endless field. Groundskeepers and gardeners did their work in silence making sure every blade of grass was at it's greenest. "Oh Blossom! You have such a be-u-ti-ful house! Oh, I wish I lived here."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." Blossom looked sadly at it. "It may seem wonderful, but living here's such a pain. My mother is so mean and I can't touch half the things in my house! The other half I don't even know what they are. We do have a huge library and sometimes I read there. The books there are so old I'm always afraid I'll ruin them. Everybody there is FORCED to be nice to me. Sometimes I see them sneering at me. I once overheard some of them say that I was just another spoiled brat whose boot they had to kiss." Blossom looked solemnly down at it. "I never felt so hurt and alone then when I lived here. My only friend is Nana. Oh, and you and Buttercup now of course." Blossom gave a light nod to Bubbles and she smiled.

"Things that are pretty on the outside can be ugly on the inside." Bubbles said poetically. Blossom paused and grinned.

"That's very true Bubbles. I better wish them a good-bye anyway. I'll see you back at the Professor's in an hour…make that an hour and a half, okay?" Blossom asked. 

"No problem, sister!" Bubbles smiled. She waved and flew off in the opposite direction. "See ya real soon." She giggled. Blossom waved back and then floated down to her house. The house loomed ominously in front of her. She shuddered slightly but headed inside.

The door opened threateningly silent. The door used to seem heavy to her, but now that she realized how she could use her super powers better, it seemed like nothing. She heard her mother's voice echoing off the walls. She was upset, the tone the pitch, it said it all. 

"I…I just don't know where she could have gone. Someone could have kidnapped her or stolen from her. Oh goodness she may even be dead! James! Hurry; fetch me a pillow and a cold glass of wine. I do not think I shall move from this couch." Blossom heard her mother fall back onto they sofa. Blossom took in a deep breath and walked in.

"Mother…?" Blossom began. Victoria Lukan had a pillow over her face with a skinny arm lying off of the sofa. Mrs. Lukan wearing a navy blue expensive wrap. She didn't look over at Blossom.

"God dammit James that better be my wine." Victoria grimaced. 

"Mother, it's…it is me, Blossom." Blossom whispered. Mrs. Lukan sat up suddenly and looked over at Blossom.

"God heavens! Blossom where on Earth have you been! My God, look at your clothing! Have you been sleeping in a dumpster? Oh, where on Earth have you been? I have been worried sick, I called the police force and everyone I could to look for you. Do you know there is a $500,000 reward for your return? That's going to cost us so much money, I mean we can afford it of course, but your foolish stunts will only end up hurting the Lukans. Do you realize what kind of people we would look like if you ran away? They would take away our membership to the country club! They would laugh at us! Laugh! Well, thank goodness I have found you and you are safe. From now on you will have Nana with you at all times." Mrs. Lukan continued to rant. Blossom couldn't get one word in there.

"Mother please! Mother I have something to tell you!" Blossom cried.

"Oh goodness, what? Where have you been? And DO NOT raise your voice at me little lady. What kind of daughter raises her voice to her mother?" Victoria looked down upon Blossom, like she always seemed to do.

"Mother, I'm…I am going away. I have found that I do not belong here. I have to go. I just wanted you to know that-" Blossom didn't get a chance to finish.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Mrs. Lukan angrily glared. "You are staying right here! I can not let you out of my sight. You are not going anywhere young lady." She paced in front of Blossom with a hand to her chin.

"You do not understand, Mother." Blossom growled a little agitated, "I do not belong here. I have found my real parent and I am going to stay with-"

"WHAT?! No! No, no, no, no, NO! I do not approve of this! No! You can not believe everything you hear! That person was probably lying. No! This is unacceptable. No daughter of mine will run off with some…some liar!" Victoria threw her hands into the air dramatically.

"You never cared before!" Blossom yelled. Victoria stopped and turned on her heel to look at the child. Blossom continued. "You never cared how I felt! You never cared that I was miserable. I hated school. You never asked why, Mom. You never even asked! They tortured me there. They called me horrible things and they…they pushed me down a flight of stairs, Mother. A flight of stairs! I'd come home with a dirty uniform and I could never explain why! You just said 'oh Blossom why are you such a dirty child' or 'why couldn't I have had a more refined daughter'. Well it wasn't my fault, Mother! I tried to be my best for you! I tried to be that perfect little girl you always wanted. I tried, Mrs. Lukan. But whatever I did was never good enough. I could never be perfect…I couldn't even be normal." Blossom had tears in her eyes. She looked at her hands. "I was just born this way. I can't help it. Just because I don't have fingers or…or a nose or…or ears doesn't mean I don't have feelings. It doesn't mean you can look down on me. I am still your daughter. And you never treated me like a daughter should be treated. You never even treated me like a human being." She put her hands down by her side and looked up at her "mother". Hot tears rolled down her cheeks onto the imported wood floor. She didn't care. "I'm leaving now. Not because I didn't like you, Mother. I still loved…love you. I just have to go now. I'm sorry." 

Mrs. Lukan was silenced by her daughter's speech. The child was crying and standing in the middle of the spacious room, her apology echoing off of the walls. Victoria sat down suddenly, her tiny form slightly shaking. Blossom looked her in the eyes and Mrs. Lukan looked right back into them. There was something else there, Mrs. Lukan thought she'd missed before. This look of hurt and pain but still of love. After all of what Victoria had done, there was still love there. 

Blossom shook her head softly. Her mother would never understand. Her red hair swished lightly across her back. 

"Good-bye Mother. I will miss you." Blossom turned to leave, her shoes echoing off of the wooden floor. A tiny voice called to her.

"But…what will I do now?" Victoria asked. Blossom looked back unsure of what she meant. "What will I tell everyone? How will I explain this to Charles?" She questioned. 

"Tell them…tell them I went home." Blossom smiled softly and headed out. Shutting the door behind her silently.

Victoria Lukan watched as her five-year-old daughter walked out through her door. The echo of her footsteps was like the distant memory of the child's existence. Then there was stillness. Not a sound as the blonde woman stared at the door. The light played on her face and a shine in her eyes detected tears forming. But crying ruins makeup. 

* * * *

As Blossom rounded the corner away from her house she fell to the curb of the sidewalk and began crying. Her knees scrapped the hot concrete and she pressed one mitt on the sidewalk to hold her up. She put a mitt over her eyes and let herself weep. _What about Nana? I have to say good-bye to Nana! _She thought to herself weeping into her mitt. The sounds of luxury cars and limos flew past her as she sat on the concrete weeping. 

She heard the sounds of footsteps approaching her and people talking and laughing. She ignored it at first when she was hit with something. Blossom saw an apple roll away from her and she looked up in alarm. 

Just as she had feared, Herbert stood over her with a smirk on his face. A group of schoolmates were snickering behind him. She scrambled to her feet trying to wipe away her tears. Her panic was overriding her sensibility. Herbert smiled evilly.

"Well if it isn't the Little Lukan." Herbert sneered. His posse smiled devilishly.

"What are you crying about Little Lukan?" A cruel girl laughed. "Did you see yourself in a mirror?" The others laughed hard. Blossom thought she'd run as fast as she could and then maybe she'd be able to escape. She turned to flee when a light-haired girl stepped in front of her.

"Where are YOU going, freak?" The girl asked. The students surrounded her. They were all laughing at her.

"Look at her clothes!"

"You find them in the trash?"

"It is probably her uniform from the freak show!" The children gleefully prodded her. Blossom shuddered and shrunk. Then she remembered, _Wait a second, I'm a superhero._ She stood up taller and looked at them with smugness. The children seemed a little confused so they closed in a tighter circle, threateningly.

"You guys better leave me alone." Blossom glared. They guffawed riotously. Blossom remained smug and confident.

"Or what, freak? You will call upon the bearded lady and the strong man?" Herbert laughed.

"This is your last warning." Blossom smiled in an almost singsong like tone. The kindergartners seemed confused but just chuckled. They nodded to one another and then began to push Blossom. She gained an angry look. "All right! You had your warnings!" 

Blossom picked up the whole batch of kindergartners with one hand. Each one was balancing and clinging onto the other. Blossom's eyes let off a slightly sadistic shimmer as she begun to spin them all around and around.

"You see," She spoke while whirling them faster and faster, "it isn't nice to pick on people who are different than you. It makes them very sad and a lot of the time," she gave another hard push and the children gyrated even faster, "it makes them very angry!" Blossom hurled (ha ha) the group of kids into the grass below. They're spinning forms dug into the grass, spreading dirt and mud all over their designer clothes. They moaned and groaned miserably, some had even lost their lunches. Blossom walked over to them, standing in front with a gleam in her eye. Herbert looked up almost in fear at the silhouette of the girl as she stood in front of the sun. "I think we all learned something here."

The stuck-up brats climbed to their wobbly, filthy feet and ran as fast as they could, away from the girl they had once teased. Blossom laughed as she watched them run, tail between their legs. Herbert even let out a little yelp before racing after his so-called friends. She let out a happy sigh.

"My goodness, dearie, what was that about?" Blossom heard someone say from behind her. She turned around to see her sweet old Nana looking a little shocked and bemused.

"NANA!" Blossom cried happily and ran to her leaping into the older woman's arms. Nana seemed shocked as the child practically bowled her over. The two fell the ground while the other children fled the happy scene. Blossom hugged Anna Nana tightly around the neck.

"Dearie, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. At least you're safe. And my, what interesting clothing." Nana smiled sweetly at the adorable play clothes Blossom had adorned. The redhead released her nana and smiled.

"Oh Nana! I'm so happy. I've got new friends who are really my sisters and I told Mother how I felt, and…and I showed those mean bullies at school they shouldn't mess with a PowerPuff!" She hugged her nana tighter. "Oh Nana, this has been the best day ever."

"Whoa! Slow down, dearie. Friends and sisters? And poor Mistress. And I saw what you did to those children, dearie. My goodness." Nana put a hand to her heart for a moment but then hugged the child. "Why don't you tell me when we get home." Nana began. Blossom looked down sadly, the breeze slightly blowing her hair back. 

"Nana, I can't go home. I…I know that I don't belong there. Not just because I wasn't born a Lukan and not just because I…I look so different. I know that I belong with another family and in another world." Blossom sighed. Nana looked confused and hurt.

"Oh…did you find your real family, dearie. Your birth mother…and you're going home with her?" Nana asked slowly. She shakily rose to her flat black shoes. Blossom floated to the ground. Nana, however, didn't see.

"Something like that. Nana, I love you. You were my only friend. I had all the toys in the world, but all I really wanted was a friend. And you were my friend, Nana. My best friend. Now I have to leave and I have to leave you and my whole life behind." Blossom sat on the sidewalk flicking a few stones away with her mitt. "I'm not just leaving the house or the state, but the whole world. I'm going…beyond." Blossom brushed her hand across the sky like trying to emphasize the big picture. Nana seemed confused. She looked off whimsically.

"You know, I always knew you were special, dearie. I knew it from the day we found you on our doorstep. There was just something about you. It wasn't because you looked a little different, no." Nana seemed to be reminiscing. "There was something in your smile, in your eyes. I could tell." She sighed softly and looked down toward the five-year-old on the ground. "Your mother was always so strict and harsh. I knew you weren't the type of girl she wanted you to be. You were better than that, you were special. There was always a glow about you, Blossom Laura Lukan. I knew you were always something special. Maybe even magical." Nana's eyes glimmered in the sunlight. Blossom blushed a little embarrassed and looked back toward the stones.

"I want you to come with me, Nana. You and me and my family will go back home and…and we'll take care of each other. And you'll tell me stories about your home again and again and again and again and--" 

"Yes, dearie." Nana replied slightly annoyed. 

"Oh well, and we'll be happy and together for the rest of our lives." Blossom hugged onto Nana's legs and buried her face in Nana's dress. "Please come back with us, Nana. I don't think I could live without you. You're my best friend." 

Nana smiled at the thought and knelt down to her little dearie. She tilted her head up to look into her eyes. Blossom looked as though she may cry.

"Oh dearie, that is a lovely idea. But, I don't think I can." She replied sadly. Blossom's heart seemed broken.

"Why not?" She pleaded and asked at the same time.

"I'm needed here. Sure there won't be the beautiful voice of the Little Miss echoing through the halls and there won't be any need for the enormous amount of toys in your bedroom, but I'll be needed. Your mother was the first child I ever took care of. She's not only my boss, but she's almost like a daughter to me, and she's my friend. I'm her best friend too, Blossom. And although it's difficult to choose, you will have your new family and your new life and friends. Your mother will be all alone. Her husband's never home and the servants don't do much for company. Your mother needs me." Nana had tears in her eyes as she hugged onto Blossom. "Your mother needs to learn things you have long-since known. I know you'll be fine on your own. It's your mother I'm not so sure about." Nana let out a teary laugh as she hugged tightly to the littlest Lukan in the middle of the sidewalk. The child's finger-less clutch got tighter.

"I…I'll miss you…Nana." Blossom stammered crying into her best friend's shoulder. 

"I'll miss you too, dearie." Nana replied. "You are destined for great things and I have no doubt in my mind that I'll see you again." Nana smiled warmly, the tears rolling across the crevices in her cheeks. Blossom smiled lightly. "You'd better get going, dearie. There's the whole world and a whole life in front of you." 

Blossom nodded and gave Nana one last, tight hug. She wiped away her tears and took a step back. Nana stood up slowly placing one hand on top of the other in front of her and resting them on the front of her dress. Blossom gave a smile and a wave and floated up and off. Nana stepped back astonished watching her child fly like the birds into the sky, looking back at her once with a smile, and disappearing in the sun's light.

"Maybe even magical." Nana repeated in awe as she watched Blossom Laura Lukan leave her life, maybe forever.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The world below was misted in white clouds circling around the houses and blurring over the vast trees. The silence was deafening. But it was world at it's most beautiful to Bubbles. It was peaceful and beautiful with the rays of heated sunshine against her back and the silence of the morning surrounding her. Morning was always her favorite time of day. It meant that another bright new day of fun and love and promise had arisen. However, today she had a mission.

Bubbles floated slightly above her house in the suburbs of Townsville. A sweet little house seemingly glowing with family unity and yet identical to the houses around it. It was snuggled safely between two hedge fences and a white picket fence that laced the front of the lawn. And a little white gate slowly banging up against it's opened lock, bringing an air of mystery and perhaps even horror to the sweet little home. 

She landed on the sun-bleached sidewalk with a large lump in her throat. Bubbles swallowed hard as she stopped the gate from swinging. Her mitt was resting on the gate when a loud yell was heard and a sobbing scream. It was very quick and sad as if the breeze had brought it along. Bubbles's tiny mitt clutched the top of the gate. She took a deep breath.

"Things that are pretty on the outside…can be ugly on the inside." Bubbles whispered softly. She opened the gate and walked to the front door peeking it open just a crack. The door let out a squeak as she looked in.

The walls were scratched with dark marks etching across the white walls. The family photo, one they had gotten from Mr. Banwick's so many years ago was hanging on its side. Slivers of glass littered the carpeted floor. Bubbles pushed open the door against a table that had fallen from the hallway. A smashed vase lay helplessly on the floor while Bubbles floated in. 

She was more scared than she had ever been. Her house was a mess and as she quietly ventured forward, she could her soft whimpering from somewhere inside the house. Bubbles took a deep breath and flew into the living room.

The couch was turned over on its side and the end table with a broken leg laid beneath her. Broken. Bubbles put her hands over her mouth in shock. _Who…who could've done this to my home?_ Bubbles questioned. But, she all ready knew the answer. She heard some light sobs from behind the couch. 

The blonde-haired girl peeked behind the sofa carefully.

Nancy Fisher lied on the carpeted floor with her robe wrapped around her more like a blanket. Her knees were tucked up to her chest and she was weeping…softly into the sleeves of the robe that draped over her slim hands. Her face was covered by the thick sleeves of the blanketed robe. Nacy's brown hair circled around her head as she wept carefully as prey trying not to be discovered.

"Mommy?" Bubbles innocent voice stopped Nancy's weak cries. Through the sleeves over Nancy's face Bubbles heard:

"Bubbles?" Nancy whispered fearfully. 

"Mommy what happened?" Bubbles asked kneeling next to her mother's form. Nancy shivered and she turned away from her surrogate daughter as more sobs shook her frame. 

"Bubbles." She said again, swallowing hard. "You have to leave honey…I…I need you to…" She began to cry again. Bubbles hugged her. 

"Mommy, what happened?" Her voice began to get shrill and more and more frightened. "Mommy what's going on?!" Nancy lay motionless with her covered hands still shielding her face. For a moment Bubbles thought her mother had passed out again. "Mommy?" She whispered her eyes were teary and her voice was shrill but soft. 

Mrs. Fisher slowly lowered the hands that covered her face. The cuffs of the sleeves slid down over her nose and over her lips and finally revealed the picture of her mother's face. 

"Mommy!" Bubbles cried tears flying from her eyes. 

Nancy's face was black and blue. The edges of her face were jaggedly cut with a thin line that stretched around as if she had stuck her face in something with a ragged edge. The lines weren't bleeding but circled around her sullen face. Her lip had split and rivulets of blood dribbled over her chin curving around her jawbone. Her cheeks were swollen and her nose broken. Nancy Fisher's face wore a testimony of everything that had happened. Nancy needn't have said a word. Her face told the story. 

"Bubbles, you have to leave. I…I'll send you to live with your aunt. My sister…" Nancy sat up shakily slouching as she put a shaky hand to her head.

"But…Mommy I all ready am going." Bubbles's wiped her eyes. "Come with me Mommy. Come and live with me an' my sisters." Bubbles lip quivered as she spoke the next words in a whisper, "Please Mommy. I don't want to be scared anymore. I don't want…I don't want you to be afraid…I didn't want you to be hurt. Please Mommy…please come with me." The blonde girl pleaded clinging to her mother. 

Nancy didn't understand. She wasn't quite sure what her daughter meant. But, inside something…something told her that what she was speaking of was far greater than she could ever hope to understand. The little girl knew far more than Nancy could have fathomed…that, Nancy had always known about her.

"I…can't." Nancy whispered.

"Whyyyyy?" Bubbles whined looking into that beaten face.

"I belong here…I have to…have to take care of Jack. He needs me." Nancy lied back against the turned over couch with a barely audible whisper she spoke, "He needs me."

"No…you can't let him do this! You gotta be safe with-" Bubbles began but she never got to finish. 

"NANCY!" A voice, and a tone, Bubbles had known oh to well. Her body twitched and she braced herself as heart rate rose. The heavy footsteps of her father approached them. Nancy held Bubbles to her. 

"No…" She spoke in an undertone as those footsteps drew nearer like the heavy thump of a great house tumbling to the ground. Bubbles's breath was coming out in gasps of fear as she felt her mother's arms around her, clutching her tightly.

"NANCY!" He bellowed with a glint in his eyes, which had never been quite as evil. Like the grasp of sanity had let go of him, Jack circled around the fallen couch slowly with a hiss to his voice when he spoke. "Here you are." 

She tensed and held Bubbles. She whispered harshly, "Go Bubbles, when he grabs me…just go. Don't even look back. I love you." Nancy said it quickly and covered Bubbles with her robe just as Jack grabbed her shoulder.

"Nancy! What the hell is wrong with you! Don't you REALIZE how IMPORTANT it is to find her?! Why are you WASTING TIME?!" Jack growled, as his grip grew tighter. Nancy yelped. 

"MOMMY!" Bubbles shrieked. Jack's piercing blue eyes shot toward her. Bubbles cowered beneath his shadow. 

"Jack NO! Don't hurt her Jack!" Nancy begged almost screaming he threw her to the side. Nancy hit the wall harshly and she yelled out in pain again.

"Here you are." Jack's voice seethed out with an odd mix of satisfaction and anger. Bubbles was hefted off the ground by her collar, till she was face to face with her furious father. Her legs kicked, as she no longer was grounded. She winced as he breathed hard with a funny scent on his breath. Alcohol.

Jack Fisher was usually not a big drinker. A simple sip here and there with business partners was usually the norm for a man such as himself. But, when things got bad. Really bad. It was back to the old habit for him. He had only dipped into the alcohol this badly twice before. Once when Nancy and himself were suffering from financial troubles. And once again when Bubbles's was only two-years-old. On Christmas Eve. That was a time Bubbles had tried so hard to forget. The first time her daddy had ever struck her. 

Bubbles's eyes shimmered with fear as she remembered that smell on his breath and the feel of his angry hands. The look in his eyes was almost inhuman. The sound of his voice was hitting her hard. It was as if he was hurting her without even touching her. 

_Please_ Bubbles begged to no one but herself _please let him not hurt me too badly. Please let him leave Mommy alone. I WANNA GO HOME! _ She cried in her head closing her eyes tightly. But then, it hit her. _But…I'm a superhero. He can't hurt me! _Bubbles's blue eyes blinked open with the realization. "Oh yeah." She said aloud.

"Oh yeah?" Jack questioned with a deranged sound to his usually pleasant voice. "Is that all you have to SAY?" He screamed. But, Bubbles's eyes showed no more fear. They showed only anger. However, Jack could not see this in her. Bubbles's teeth grit and she gave the most wretched glare she'd ever made. The anger and pain that had been suppressed over the years built up in her voice until: 

"How could you?" Bubbles let out a horse statement with tears in her eyes. Jack's lips curled into a sneer with the look at his "hopeless" yet defiant daughter. He brought back his fist.

"NO JACK! DON'T!" Nancy screamed. But it was too late as Jack's hand flew toward the face of the tiny girl with the power expected to take down a man.

However, that fist didn't connect with Bubbles's face. 

Jack Fisher was shocked as his daughter lifted him, by his balled up fist, into the air and over her into the wall. Jack shook his now throbbing head. Bubbles stood before him huffing heavily with hate, actual hate, in her eyes.

"How could you do this to your family?!" She screeched lifting him above her head and throwing him again. "I'm your daughter!" She cried again, with tears flowing freely now as he hit the all ready overturned couch to the other direction. Jack was hoisted up by his collar till he was face to face with the floating child. She sneered at him, crying. "We're your family, not your enemy." She closed her eyes in pain as she relived the most painful years of her life, "WE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AFAID OF YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US!" Bubbles cried rearing back her fist and punching him in the face. All she had been feeling turning into a blind rage. Her tiny mitt smashing into her father's face hard enough that she was sure a bruise would have formed…at the very least.

"A father's supposed to love and protect his family!" Bubbles stated hitting him again and again. "YOU NEVER DID THAT!" Bubbles was now sobbing. "YOU NEVER LOVED US!" Bubbles shrilly wept as she pounded him again and again, her fists burning. 

She reared back her fist again, the tears blurring her vision. Her fist was shaking and Jack's face was swollen and bruised. Bubbles's anger and frustration and fear controlled her as she mercilessly harmed her own father. He hadn't uttered a word out of shock. Now he couldn't of if he had tried. "You never loved us." Bubbles whispered. She swung.

"STOP IT! **STOP**!" Nancy shrieked. "STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Nancy cried, the tears spilling over her cheeks. "Please…" She sobbed. "I'll do anything you want just please don't hurt him…please." Nancy wept into her hands. 

Bubbles looked at her mother stunned and then to Jack. Her father. His eyes were black and blue. Blood trickled down the side of his face, and there was a big, ugly bruise on his cheek. Like hers. 

Bubbles Fisher gasped as the realization hit her. She had become him. Become the person she'd feared and shied away from and secretly wished he'd just stay on vacation forever. Him. She dropped her father down and covered her face with her mitts.

"What have I done?" The little blonde five-year-old questioned. She couldn't imagine looking herself in the face again. She couldn't imagine what her mother now thought. "I'm…sorry…I'm so sorry." She whispered. She took off but Nancy stopped her.

"No! Don't go. Bubbles, it's not your fault." Nancy snapped from her shock. She reached her arms up to Bubbles and she reluctantly floated down. Mrs. Fisher was still shaking as the tiny blonde floated to her arms "Shhhh. You don't _have_ to be like him." Nancy said comfortingly, her mind still in a bit of a scramble. "Jack's a good man, but he's made a lot of mistakes in his life. You don't have to make those mistakes."

"I couldn't stop myself, Mommy!" Bubbles cried openly. "I just thought of all those bad things he did and how scared he made me an' you. I…I didn't want to hurt him! I'm sorry!" She wailed.

"It's okay. You don't have to let that anger control you." Nancy tried to keep her emotions down, the thing that was important was her daughter and husband and calming both of them down. She was unusually calm herself. 

"I don't wanna stay anymore. I don't wanna be hurt or hurt anyone." Bubbles sniffled sadly. "But…but I don't want to leave you Mommy. I don't want you to be hurt either." Bubbles begged to her surrogate mother with the bluest eyes.

"Bubbles…" Nancy began, "I don't think that me going with you is for the best."

"Why?!" Bubbles questioned again.

"Well, I have to help your father. He…he needs help now. I know that he won't be able to stop by himself and we both need help." She glanced over to him, his lifeless form lied on the ground. His breathing was shallow. She looked back to her own daughter. "I knew I should've never kept you here." Nancy's eyes began to fill with tears. "I knew it." She whispered.

"I won't leave you!" The blonde cried again sadly. Nancy Fisher looked into those soft blue eyes. She'd seen them over and over as her daughter had grown up…but she never realized how truly beautiful they were. Nancy bit her lower lip and shook her head.

"I think it's about time I let you go, Bubbles." Nancy whispered slowly, "I need to take care of Jack and you need to go on. You were never meant to stay here in this family anyway." Nancy began to cry, "We were supposed to love you and care for you. I was supposed to protect you…I never did that. Why?" Nancy asked herself pathetically. Bubbles just rubbed her mitt over her mother's hand. 

"It's okay, shhhh. I'm sorry." Bubbles consoled.

"No…no, it was my fault. But, I'm not going to let it happen anymore. I have to take control of my life." Nancy's voice was a little stronger now. "You have to take control of yours." She looked her daughter in the eyes. "You are very special Bubbles. You have a special gift, don't EVER use it for bad things. Don't EVER let your emotions control it Bubbles. You're very special, but I can't let you be in harms way anymore. Please…go on." Nancy gripped Bubbles's tiny mitt tightly. Bubbles was all ready weeping.

"I-I can't. I-I won't." She wept holding onto her mother. Nancy nodded slowly.

"Please Bubbles, I don't want you to be hurt anymore." They were silent. Bubbles gulped deeply. Her eyes spilling with tears.

"Will I…will I see you or Daddy…ever?" Bubbles questioned. Nancy nodded closing her eyes tightly and forcing out some more tears.

"I'm sure you will." Nancy hugged her daughter for the last time. "I'm sorry, honey. So sorry." 

"Me too, Mommy." Bubbles rested her head against her mother's chest as they wept in the corner of the room. The glass shards circled around them in the disheveled living room as their weak bond grew stronger, but would, undoubtedly, be broken. 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The Professor was concentrating on his Transdimensional Time Reverser. It would be imperative to get it working. His black eyes glanced over to his small, brunette child who was angrily muttering to herself. She sat cross-legged on the floor with an angry scowl on her face. His little girl. He had missed them all so much. Their very look and presence brought him overwhelming joy. He prayed silently (although he was more of a science man than a God-fearing one) that he and his children would make it home safely.

He looked back at her to see she was carelessly playing with an empty beaker. Normally he would've halted the callous behavior, but he decided to let her play, even though the beaker would no doubt break. In many ways his children reminded him of himself. When he was a youngster, he was a bit of a prankster and had boundless unrest in himself, much like his green-eyed girl. As he grew, he began to find laws of science and a quest for knowledge enticing, like his young daughter Blossom had found it. And when he reached adult hood, he had further gained a good nature and slightly playful spirit like his sweet Bubbles. All those dimensions of his girls were found in himself and visa versa. It made it easier to identify with all three of them. And, at that moment, he'd rather let his Buttercup play and just enjoy her company.

"Shouldn't they have been back by now?" Red questioned breaking the Professor's thoughtful silence. She looked toward the ceiling where the large hole showed the blue morning sky. The Professor looked toward the hole and then toward Ms. Robins. 

She was a sweet young lady with an obviously kind heart. She'd come all this way to return his daughters to him. She was indeed a very sweet woman. Not to mention she wasn't half-bad looking either. Red had a slender figure and long red hair although it was tied back at the moment. Her green eyes reminded him a bit of his little girl's. The sunlight glowed upon her worried face and the Professor found himself slightly starring.

A low growl shook him from his thoughts. Buttercup glowered at him, still being protective of her mother, although she knew now they were never truly mother and daughter. Her whole life…a lie. It was hard to believe it. There was nothing more disheartening to her. She always thought that she was born of her mother. _Why…why didn't Mommy…**Red**_, Buttercup acidly thought, _ever tell me? Why did she lie to me?_ It hurt her so much. But she wouldn't let a tear fall. She gave an angry look to her "mother" pounding the beaker across the floor harshly.

Red winced at the sound. Her thoughts had been concentrated mostly on Bubbles and Blossom. They had been gone for so long. After they had flown out she had been silent toward her daughter, clueless on what to say. She had just been worried about Bubbles and Blossom. _How long should this take? Are they going to make it back in time? What if they're hurt?! What if they're trapped somewhere. My God, poor Bubbles! _ Thoughts raced through her mind as she turned away from the hole in the ceiling. Then her eyes fell upon Buttercup, playing angrily. She couldn't leave everything unspoken. They had to leave on good terms.

"Buttercup?" Red asked quietly. Buttercup didn't even turn around. She continued to bang the beaker on the floor. The Professor began to become worried. "Honey," Red stated, "don't do that. You'll break it."

"I don't have to listen to you." Buttercup sneered unmercifully, "You're not my _mother_." Red snapped her head to the side as if Buttercup had just hit her. She looked down for a moment but turned her head back to Buttercup.

"Baby, I'm sorry." Red stated, the only sounds now were that of that damned beaker clanking on the floor and the Professor tinkering, slowly, on his creation. "I know you feel hurt and betrayed. And I'm sorry. I have never felt more sorry for this. You have to understand though, I thought you were too young and it would hurt you. I know it HAS hurt you. I was going to tell you when you were ready. I never meant it as a lie." Buttercup just turned the beaker over in her hands and the banging of the beaker had only become a want in the air. 

The Professor gave a weak cough although he'd been trying to hold it in. Red frowned and tried to think of something else to say.

"I love you, Honey." She said clearly and the banging began again almost as if drowning her out, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted you to feel like you really were a part of the family. I thought you may have felt rejected because your…um…'real Mommy' left you. I wanted you to feel first that I loved you just as much as your real mother could." Red closed her eyes lightly. "I just wanted you to know you were loved." The clanking became softer until Buttercup was only sliding the rim on the beaker across the floor. 

"I coulda handled it." Buttercup softly reassured. "I'm tough enough to take it. I'm…pretty smart…I would understand." Buttercup spoke solely to the scathed beaker clasped in her mitts. "I know…I know you…love me." Buttercup's voice was unusually soft. "I don't wanna be mad, I just…I don't want you to…to…" Buttercup's face contorted in pain and she picked up the beaker and flung it toward a wall. _ Oh no, here it comes _The Professor thought and waited for the tinkling of glass. His expectations, however, went un-rewarded. 

Red held the beaker in her hand after catching it in mid-throw. She looked as her daughter had pulled her rounded "knees" to her tiny chest and turned her face to the side. The picture became suddenly very clear to her. "Oh…honey…" Red's lower lip trembled softly and she knelt down to her child, placing the beaker on the ground as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.

The Professor seemed confused. _ I…will never understand women. _ The Professor thought vaguely to himself, having since stopped his construction on the Transdimensional Time Reverser. The two females clutched each other in the middle of the floor as the Professor pieced together everything in his mind.

Buttercup could be an extremely complex child or sometimes she was as easy to read as a billboard. In this particular instance she was dipping into the complexities in herself. She had yet to realize it, but she was demonstrating a way of softening the blow for her mother's inevitable departure. By purposefully finding something to become exceedingly angry about, it would make it easier for her to get up and leave her mother with little clinging or regret until later. Although Buttercup was genuinely upset over her adoption, this was also a sort of built-in safety for her.

"I don't wanna go." Buttercup finally whispered. Red's heart leapt with joy for a mere moment. She didn't want to say it aloud but she had hoped her daughter would want to stay with her. 

The Professor, on the other hand slipped a little when he heard her faint whisper. Could he be complete without all three girls? Inside it formed a deep gash in his psyche, choosing this world over their own. Choosing her over him. It would hurt him, almost kill him to see her smiling face in the family portrait and having only that ghost of a smile floating around in his home. What if his other two children chose this world over their original? What if they too left him? The thought made him feel dizzy. Then he would have to stay in this world, just to be with them. And that other world, their homeworld, would collapse and die without them. That house in Pokey Oaks would crumble to the ground, that school in Townsville he'd attended so long ago would disintegrate, all the great achievements would die, along with thousands of others.

No, no he wouldn't allow it. He couldn't allow those people to die in that world. But, would he deny his daughter's happiness? Such a rare and fleeting thing to see her smile without a scowl on her face. Would he destroy all three of his daughter's happiness? For the sake of that world? And was it not true that once they left this world, everyone here would die? For his girls were much like the supporting pillars in a great monument. With them gone from either, it would fall and crush all inside. Including this kind-hearted and gentle Ms. Robins.

He glanced over at her knowing that once those girl's stepped their Mary-Jane clad feet to "the other side" that world would implode and collapse upon her. A swift and final blow for her years of devotion to her surrogate daughter. A fitting end?

"Oh Honey, I know. But, you belong with the Professor and your sisters. This world hasn't been kind to you and you are needed where you came from." Red looked longingly at the light green eyes and cut locks of dark hair. As if taking in every detail before her daughter disappeared. 

"Can't you come with us?" Buttercup questioned.

"This is my world, I belong here. You belong in your world." Red smiled boldly. The Professor tried to re-concentrate on his work, still keeping the secret. It burned inside him like a fire. Why didn't he tell her she would no doubt die? Why couldn't he just take her in the portal with him and his girls? Was it perhaps the fear that she may take the girl's from him? Their need for a maternal figure overriding their original love for their creator? Or was it that he would be playing God to take only Red and not whoever it was that took care of Bubbles and Blossom? Perhaps even the fact that her very presence in his world could cause it to collapse. As these thoughts bounced around in his head, he continued to work on auto-pilot trying not to sympathize with the pretty young woman. 

"I'll never see you again." She stated plainly.

"I'll see you again, Honey." Red forced a smile.

"How?" Buttercup began to get angry, "You'll be here, I'll be there! How the heck am I suppose to see you again!" She pouted. 

"I'll be there." Red smiled. "I'll be in the love the Professor will give to you, I'll be there in his touch and in your thoughts. Trust me, I'll be inside of you and you'll get so sick of me you'll want to puke." Red's grin widened while she spoke as she created her own "fail-safe" device out of the comedy. "But honestly honey, I never truly existed before you came here. If you hadn't wished me, I would've never been. I'm…essentially…a figment of your imagination." Red gulped. This sort of psychology troubled her. She had always thought herself open to these types of ideas, but now with evidence that it may have been true, she cringed. Technically, her God was the child she had raised, and the person she prayed to each night before bed. The little God shook her head.

"You're NOT imaginary." She stated seriously, "I do NOT have imaginary friends! That INCLUDES mothers! You're wrong!" She glared. Red realized that this concept was a little too advanced for her and soothed her child softly while rubbing her back.

"Okay, okay." Red rocked her back and forth. "Why don't we just wait for your sisters to come back before we say goodbye, okay?" Buttercup nodded and listened to the fast thud of her mother's heartbeat. 

Once again the Professor's work remained the only sound for a while with the clinking of metals and the fusing of wires. Soon though, a soft sound was heard in the laboratory of Red's soft humming as she began a familiar tune. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…" It continued softly, the words were slightly sticking to her lips as she formed them and spoke them gently. 

This only pained the Professor more. As morality gripped him he heard a familiar sound. His eyes gazed up from his tedious work to the hole above. He saw nothing but blue skies and puffy white clouds. Had that sound only been an illusion? His hopes to end the thoughts he was battling with?

Suddenly, a pink streak of light flew in from the hole and landed on the tiled floor with a gentle tap. Blossom smiled at the Professor, her eyes looked slightly redder than normal but she gave off an aura of inner fulfillment. 

"Hello Professor, how's it going?" Blossom voice was back to normal, with contractions and that slight authoritative tone. As if all snottiness had been erased from her voice. "Are they…" Blossom looked over to see Red still holding Buttercup; they seemed oblivious to Blossom. Blossom nodded once as if to say "that's how things should be". She then turned her sights back to the Professor making sure to wipe the tracks of tears off of her cheeks. "Is the Transdimensional Time Reverser ready? Is Bubbles here?"

"Almost and no. I have to say that I never expected this machine to be so temperamental. The electron configuration is all out of whack, the hydraulic mechanization won't even spin, and I can't even begin to describe what's wrong with the flux capaci-"

"Professor? I get it." Blossom putting on a trying smile. The Professor stopped raving and gave a light chuckle. 

"Sorry, Honey. I'm sure Bubbles will be back in a moment." He turned back to quickly working on the Transdimensional Time Reverser, keeping track of the foreboding time. 

Blossom gave off a slight smile and closed her eyes for a moment relishing in the thought of going back home and the thought of her Nana's dear words. She replayed the nights she spent listening to Nana's stories of childhood and the mornings coming back from horseback riding falling asleep resting on Nana's lap. A slight smile even came to her as she remembered the feel of her "mother's" hands through her hair. Warm tears welled up over her pink irises. _Some things, I will miss._ She thought.

That same sound, from before, interrupted the Professor's work. _ Bubbles must be coming home._ The Professor thought, even happy to THINK those words. He gazed expectantly toward the whole in the ceiling, his eyes only meeting the blue sky though. 

Suddenly Bubbles bursts through the roof creating another hole. She had tears in her eyes and began to wail a little, shaking everyone from what they were doing.

"I wish I never wished thhhhhhaatttttttt!" Bubbles screeched aloud, the thoughts of her mother and father swarming around in her head. But it seemed that God didn't give them time to console the child. 

The ground rumbled beneath them, The little pieces of plaster Bubbles had cast onto the ground bounced and tittered over the floor. The Professor quickly hugged onto his two closest daughters (as Red all ready had a tight grip on Buttercup). 

"What did I do nooooooooowwwwwwww?" Bubbles wailed as Blossom began to feel a burning near her chest. The ground shook more violently and a piece of plaster crushed the beaker shattering it into a million pieces.


	20. Chapter 19

(I...I don't know what to tell you. Sorry this took me SO so very long to put up the next chapter. I ran out of juice. But I WILL finish this this summer. You will have your ending. Once again...SO sorry. -.- Oh and last chapter, in case you forget, Bubbles flew in after saying a teary farewell to her mother and the world began to fall apart. ^.^;; )  
  
centeruChapter 19/u/center  
  
The burning grew greater near Blossom's chest. iWhat the-/iShe thought as the heat became almost unbearable. The locket around her neck glowed brighter flaming Blossom's eyes. She screamed loudly and broke the chain from her neck and it twirled and spun violently.  
  
Buttercup's own necklace two had taken on a similar glow and flown through the air, almost choking the girl. Red clutched her close to protect her as the two necklaces spun viciously, dancing in the air. As the two parts collided, their blinding light threw itself across the room so they all shielded their eyes from it.   
  
"What's goin' ooonnnnnnnnn?" Bubbles wailed burying her face in the Professor's lab coat.   
  
"I'm not sure…" The Professor held both the children in as the light grew brighter and brighter. The room was shaking and the ceiling was beginning to crumble.   
  
The two necklaces merged into one and suddenly the light surrounded it and molded it into…  
  
"The pebble!" Blossom yelled pointing a mitt at the shinning ball of light. "But…but how?" She questioned barely able to see as the Professor clutched her close to him.  
  
"The wishing!" The Professor realized, "It's all the wishing. Girls, when I wished to be here with you, the pebble reacted violently, remember?" He called over the noise of the house crumbling.   
  
"But why's it doing this now?" Bubbles asked him as the light intensified.  
  
"It's that wish you made, Bubbles! You said you wished you hadn't wished that and it-" Buttercup started but the light grew blinding and hot and the ground split further tables and equipment shorting out and falling. The world was shaking and trembling.   
  
"But I wasn't even holding the pebble!" Bubbles complained.  
  
"It doesn't matter!" Red called. A light beam shot out of the tiny ball of energy. It streamed through the air almost beautifully shinning all colors. It engulfed a metal table in its glow and the table vanished from sight. As if it had never existed. "What's happening?" Red looked in surprise, her red hair flying over her face.  
  
"I don't know, but I think it's…it's trying to destroy the world it has created!" The Professor cried in shock. A light beam flashed towards him and the girls. Bubbles and Blossom gasped simultaneously. They quickly snatched the Professor and moved him before the beam could hit. A beaker vanished before their eyes.   
  
"Okay girls, we gotta get Red and the Professor outta here!" Blossom stood up quickly grabbing the Professor by the coat; Bubbles grabbed on automatically too.   
  
"But where do we take him, Leader Girl?" Buttercup called barley missing a shocking light beam. It zapped a piece of rubble into clear non-existence. Buttercup's comment was valid. If the pebble was destroying its world, there was nowhere to go. How can someone escape the Apocalypse?  
  
"The only way we might be able to get through this is if I can get the Transdimensional Time Reverser to work. Then, I can switch us back to our own dimension." The Professor yelled over the destruction of the house.   
  
The three super-powered five-year-olds looked at each other and nodded.   
  
"Okay girls!" Blossom called over the thunderous noise, "surround the Professor and Red, don't let those beams touch 'em!" The girls lifted the Professor carefully and began toward the machine. Buttercup scooped up her surrogate mother as well and joined her sisters as an almost human shield carrying the adults toward the machine.  
  
The sounds of destruction grew increasingly worse as metal was crushed beneath hunks of wreckage. The girl's hid their fear with determination. A little further, toward the Professor's creation, they weights of two lives literally in their hands.  
  
"Girls, move left!" Blossom cried as a light beam chased after them. Buttercup and Bubbles complied moving with Blossom left. The destruction laser whipped harmlessly past the quintet. "Down!" Blossom barked as another light beam followed even faster than the other one had, its color shinning even more brilliantly. The pebble seemed as though it was firing directly at them.  
  
Bubbles breathed heavily as the light beam flew directly overhead; she noted the swirling melodic colors that had enticed her before. Staring directly into the beam, Bubbles could see one million things, colors and vision and sounds. Her eyes blanked out as she view one thousand cities and saw the music of the universe in a flying flash of beauty.  
  
"BUBBLES!" Buttercup and Blossom chorused. Bubbles shook her head and moved to the right subconsciously as another shot missed her, literally by hairs. Bubbles snapped from her vision and almost started to cry at the near death experience.  
  
"Were almost there, girls!" Red cried feeling the mitts grip harder into her shoulders. She felt one set of mitts get even tighter.   
  
"Another one's comin' from behind!" Butterup called. The girls began to move up when the Professor interrupted.  
  
"No! It'll hit the Time Reverser!" He cried in a panic. Buttercup's hands suddenly left his shoulder as she flew off.  
  
"Buttercup!" Bubbles and Blossom called after her.  
  
"Keep going!" Buttercup yelled back grabbing a thick hunk of the ceiling crashing from above. The other two puffs flew the parents faster as Buttercup aliened the hunk of wreckage between herself and the beam. She held it tight closing her eyes as the beam hit the chuck dead center.  
  
The piece of wreckage burned in her hands shaking viciously. Buttercup grit her teeth tightly clutching the shaking piece of ceiling as it disappeared from their world. As the beam burned, the sounds of everything she'd ever heard led a cacophony of noise blaring to her. She wanted to scream and drop the piece but held on tighter almost in pain. Buttercup's eyes snapped open as the ceiling piece vanished, her hands clapping together suddenly, as she was no longer holding anything.   
  
"Okay, girls," the Professor began, "right here, I'll get this thing to work yet." Blossom and Bubbles let the Professor down to the floor and placed Red down as well. The Professor began immediately to set the machine as Buttercup rejoined the group.  
  
"Good work, Buttercup." Blossom nodded her head toward her sister, "Now we've gotta make sure those rays don't hit the Professor, or Red. Got it?" The girls nodded. "All right girls, let's bust some beams!"  
  
As Blossom spoke, a barrage of light headed toward them, each one containing everything that all universes had to offer in visions and sounds all wrapped up in the light. The girls grabbed large blocks of ruins and science equipment placing it between them and the beams. They closed their eyes tightly as the beams would hit, each one of them shaking and distracting them.   
  
Red was at a loss as she watched the Professor frantically set coordinates and re-wire the inside panels again and again. Beads of sweat dripped down his face as his quaking hands worked. Red turned her eyes toward the brave girls as they grabbed anything and everything they could, holding it in the path of destruction.  
  
As Bubbles's lab table slowly disappeared from her hands she heard a voice call out.  
  
"BUBBLES, LOOK OUT!"   
  
Bubbles saw a light heading straight for her. Her pupils constricted.   
  
"UH!" Buttercup grabbed Bubbles and pushed her out of the way just in time before the light overcame her. The two moved just in time as the beam passed through a large, sleek machine. "Well this seems familiar." Buttercup commented referring to the previous rescue of her sister back with the dragon.   
  
"Thanks Buttercup! I woulda been a goner."   
  
"Well…we can't lose you now that we found you." Buttercup commented. Just then a burst of light dissipated in front of them after connecting with a graduated cylinder. Blossom frowned at the two as she lowered her arm.  
  
"We gotta keep focused. Come on!" Blossom cried as the light beams became more plentiful, and they were running out of things to put in the way. "Professor, is the machine almost ready?"   
  
"Almost, Blossom. I need a few more minutes!" He cried, a wire sparking in his hand.  
  
"Well you'd better hurry!" Bubbles shrieked almost being hit. Professor Utonium nodded and quickened his all ready frantic pace. Red fidgeted next to him uncomfortably.   
  
"Errrrrrrrah!" Buttercup threw a large machine toward a beam. But, as the beam hit it, a chuck of the machine flew off and hit the pebble dead on. The girls widened their eyes as the rays stopped suddenly. There was a moment of silence. Then a thick large beam burst forth, toward the group.   
  
It was thicker and bigger than before so wide and huge it nearly blinded them and they shielded their eyes from it. It sped toward them, dissolving everything in its path. No piece of wreckage would stop this light.   
  
"Oops." Buttercup said.  
  
"Let's try our own laser beams. Maybe it'll transport the energy." Blossom cried, the walls fully crumbled but the ground rumbling. It seemed only a shadow beneath the massive light ray. The girls squinted tightly and fired their beams, concentrating. It wasn't working. The ray burned right through it, heading for them.  
  
"It's no use!" Bubbles shouted. The girls bolted up quickly as the light nearly engulfed them. It raced toward the Professor.  
  
"PROFESSOR!" The three shouted at once diving toward him.   
  
The ray hit.  
  
There was a brilliant light that filled everything around them. The pure white ate everything. Nothing could be seen; it even engulfed sound.   
  
When the light cleared, all was silent for a moment. The pebble hummed, seeming satisfied. After a pause they heard a loud cry.  
  
"MOMMA!" Buttercup screeched. Blossom and Bubbles stared for a moment in shock at the place where Red Robins moved in front of the ray, protecting the Professor. The light abducted her, took her. All that was left was the dark spots in the Powerpuff's eyes from the blinding light that overtook her. She was gone.  
  
"RED!" Blossom and Bubbles cried out. Tears sprung to their eyes and Professor Utonium blinked rapidly at how close he came and the sacrifice of the life who barely knew him. To think, the woman would give her life for him when he was all too willing to leave her in the universe that he knew would collapse once the girls left.   
  
"MOMMA! MOMMA! MOMMA!" Buttercup screamed in hysterics. She gasped heavily crying without care who saw. The girls all began to cry when the pebble whirred again. It began to shoot out more beams, more rays, as if it were eager to capture more.  
  
Blossom closed her eyes in sorrow for a moment before snapping them open, true to her duties.   
  
"Come on girls, we have to protect the Professor. He…he's almost done with the machine. Bubbles, take the beam on the left; I got the one from above; Buttercup, take the low one, NOW!" Blossom began racing upward.   
  
Bubbles, numbed for a moment whipped to the left fumbling for something to but in the way. Buttercup sat still for a moment, touching the ground where her surrogate mother had stood. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she had destroyed the person she'd wished into life.  
  
"BUTTERCUP! HURRY!" Blossom yelled, shaking with the destruction of the cabinet she held. The rays were getting more powerful as the stung when she held the objects now.  
  
Buttercup shut her eyes harshly and screamed loudly and ripped up a piece of the floor letting in disappear, not caring about the pain. Bubbles and Blossom closed their eyes for a moment, agreeing with the sound of Buttercup's cry.  
  
"GOT IT!" The Professor shouted. The trio turned their heads back to look at him. "It's untested but we'll just have to trust-" A thin light beam slipped through hitting the Professor in the chest.  
  
"ibPROFESSOR/i/b!" The PPG screamed as loud as they could. They watched in horror as the Professor's face scrunched up in pain and light submerged his body. It raced over his form and he vanished. The girls blinked, traumatized. He was gone. They had failed to protect him too.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! PROFESSOR!" The girls screeched in pain. The loss of a second adult out of the blue. The pebble grew brighter, its humming tone now sounding more like a swarm of angry bees. The girls had a choice now. Figure out the Transdimensional Time Reverser or lose themselves to the angry mystical orb. With the Red and the Professor now gone, would going back to home even be the same? Would it even be the same?   
  
A light beam shot towards them. 


End file.
